


Instrumentals & Fashion

by canisbaileyilupus



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: AU, Adult Adrien Agreste, Adult Marinette Dupain-Cheng, F/M, Identity Reveal, Sexual Content, don't know what to call this AU but there you go, in which their miraculous is actually what they do for work, suicide in chapter 11
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-30
Updated: 2016-04-26
Packaged: 2018-05-04 03:49:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 26,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5319326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/canisbaileyilupus/pseuds/canisbaileyilupus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Adrien Agreste created instrumental music under the name "Chat Noir", but lost his passion for it when his mother died of cancer and was forced to move into a small apartment in the city to save money so he could start making music again. He thought his passion was gone, that is until he met the lovely neighbor next door.</p><p>Marinette Dupain-Cheng designed clothing under the name "Ladybug Designs" but lost her ability when no music was helping her fuel her creativity. Suddenly she finds an album by "Chat Noir" that sparks a whole new line of designs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Noisy Neighbor

**Author's Note:**

> I had no idea what to call this AU. But, I had the idea out of the blue the other day and decided to make something original. All the music that is being introduced in this story will be linked at the appropriate times.

Marinette groaned, rolling her eyes. "Seriously, again? You'd think he'd get the memo by now." It had been a week since the new guy moved in next door. He was blonde, tall, with green eyes. She hadn't known the guy for long before she heard his noisy music playing through her wall. It drove her nuts every night, and she'd walk over to the window via the fire escape to tell him to turn it down. He'd apologise and turn it down each night.

This night was no different than the past six nights. Shuffling to her window, she pushed it open, climbing out onto the fire escape and walked over to the next window to her right.

Marinette knocked on the glass, not sure if her neighbor could hear her knocks through his blaring music. "Hello!"

The blinds were pulled up and the curtains were open. Quickly, he turned down his sound system and quickly walked over to the window, opening it. "My bad, I keep forgetting I have neighbors."

"Adrien, if you keep this up, the landlord is going to kick you out." Marinette stated.

Marinette's neighbor pulled a stool from inside his place and handed it to her, giving her a place to sit while they chatted. "I know, I've never had neighbors before."

Marinette asked, "What happened that made you move into this dump?" Adrien just chuckled.

"I haven't worked in awhile and since I can't make any money right now, I've had to downgrade a lot until I get my inspiration back up." Marinette looked at Adriens face, filled with frustration.

Marinette grew a bit chilly, it was becoming winter in their town. "I never asked what you did for work."

"I make music, its not really popular. Thats why I'm trying to listen to my favorites right now, trying to get the inspiration back. So far, no dice." The blonde sighed again. "What about you?"

Marinette blushed. "Oh, I make clothes. I'm not that popular either. I'm working on some new things though. I think I'll get some more money coming in soon."

"You should go inside before you shake to death. But come by sometime, we can chill again." Marinette giggled at the bad pun.

"Alright. But remember to keep the music down. Don't make me come back here." Marinette walked back to her window and slipped inside, Adrien watching her enter her apartment and close the window. He sighed.

"What a beauty, she is."

* * *

 

Adrien was a musician. His popular music got him an award for best instrumental album since Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter series. He didn't want his abusive father to find him, so he used an alias instead. Chat Noir was perfect, since he'd loved black cats since he was a child, and his family was from a long line of musicians and models. He pulled a lot of inspiration from his french model mother and how beautiful and kind-hearted she was. One month later, his mother had passed away from breast cancer and his creativity dwindled. He was unable to make another album because of the loss of his mother and so was forced to move into a small apartment to save money.

Marinette was a famous clothing designer, but because of her shy personality, her industry alias was Ladybug, but her company was Akuma Designs. Her work was extremely popular, women would buy her clothes as soon as they hit the shelves, but because of how much it costed to make each outfit and how long it took to make them, the sales have dwindled. She had been living in her apartment since she was eighteen, but since her striving career, she didn't need a big home or any lavish items to decorate her place with. So, the sales hadn't hurt her too much. But if she was going to keep her name in the industry, she'd have to come up with something soon.

* * *

 

Marinette knew she could rely on music to ger her spirit going. After a trip to the music store downtown, she came across an album by an artist called Chat Noir. Curious, she asked the store clerk at the counter about it.

"Oh, thats one of our best instrumental albums. The artist is anonymous, they have never been photographed or performed at any concerts. Hell, they won't even allow directors to use the music for movies. But its been like six months since they put out something new."

"May I listen to a sample of it? I need to be sure I'm not wasting my money." The black haired woman asked.

The clerk smiled. "Sure thing hun, let me just play it over the PA system." After a moment, a song began playing through the speakers. Marinette smiled.

"I'll buy it." That night Marinette laid in bed and listened to the album on repeat. After a few days of repeatedly playing the album, she began to draw designs.

* * *

 

Adrien moved in one week ago. He had been struggling to figure out why he can't break through this creative block. After his mother passed away, he hadn't produced a single good track. He was also hoping a change of scenery would help get his music flowing again. After a few hours of playing through old songs he could never get sick of, a knock on his window forced him to turn down his music and chat with the neighbor. Marinette was her name and she was probably one of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. The way her black hair flowed down her shoulders on cold days and the way she wore it in small pigtails when she was hard at work. He knew it was creepy to watch her doodle and sketch, but he couldn't help it.

Days pass, Marinette came by and knocked on his window again. "I wasn't being loud was I?" She shook her head.

"No, I just came by to hang out. What are you doing?" She asked, Adrien allowing her to enter through his window.

Adrien held out his hand, welcoming her inside as she placed her hand in his. "Just figuring out dinner and playing some classics."

Marinette smiled. "And what classics do you have here?" She shuffled over to the entertainment center and looked through his collection. Adrien shut the window and walked over to her.

"Well, I've got some records here form the 60s, a ton of CDs from the 90s and pretty much everything on my stereo. It plays tapes, CDs, records, and different radio stations. Pandora is also connected." Adrien smirked at his tech and how much music he's got.

"I think I'll play some Pandora. May I?" Marinette asked politely.

"You have great manners. Of course, My Lady." Marinette stared at Adrien for a second, then started laughing. "What's so funny?"

"Sorry, but calling me 'My Lady' makes me sound old." Marinette answered, still laughing. She typed in an artist and it began to play a song by Vallis Alps.

SONG PLAYING AT THIS MOMENT: Young - [Vallis Alps](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoZPVMEsbeQ)

Adrien walked back into the kitchen and stared at his liqour in the fridge. "What do you like to drink?" Marinette sprinted over to Adrien.

"Oh, alcohol wise?" Adrien looked behind him to see Marinette, bend over his shoulder staring into the fridge. She smells like nature. Her hair was down, falling over her shoulders.

"Yeah, I've got wine, scotch, and stuff to make mixed drinks. I can even make a mimosa, if you'd like." Adrien replied. Marinette smiled.

"It's been awhile, so I'll take a mimosa, please." Marinette turned around. "Are you planning to make anything right now? I could help."

Adrien face palmed. "I have no idea what I'm doing, so help yourself."

"So, your mom never taught you how to cook?" Adrien felt melancholy.

"No, she uh, passed away." Adrien didn't look at Marinette. She turned to see his sad expression. Marinette put her hand on his shoulder, her thumb stroking the front of his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know. She must have been a wonderful person." Marinette pulled away and started searching through Adriens cabinets.

"She was. And so beautiful." Adrien cleared his throat, trying not to let the tears form in his eyes.

"Well, you have nothing in this kitchen so I'm going to get some things from my place. I'll be right back." Marinette walked over to the front door. "I'll be using this way instead. Figured you might want to save that heat." Marinette giggled, shutting the door behind her.

As Marinette was out of his place, Adrien went to his office. He needed to write something down quickly.

Marinette shut her door and ran to her kitchen. She had an idea brewing and she could not wait to make this dish for the blonde next door.

After about half an hour, she returned with a box of stuff she'd gathered from her kitchen. "I hope you're ready for an awesome dinner because I've got the best idea-hey where are you?" Marinette shouted, closing the front door with her foot. She set down the box in the kitchen and didn't see Adrien anywhere. Suddenly, she heard a guitar tuning down the hall, so she followed the sound.

Adrien closed his eyes, his pick plucking at the tough metal strings, trying to get the right tune. A knock startled him.

"Holy hell, you scared me." Adrien almost dropped his guitar, placing a hand over his chest as if his heart was gonna jump out any second.

"Sorry about that. Is this your music room? Its cool." Marinette poked at the walls. "I'm guessing this is what keeps the sound inside, huh?" Marinette giggled.

"Yeah, its the best, and it keeps people from hearing my work before it comes out. It took me like 2 hours to get them all up." Adrien pointed at the one window in the room. "The window was the hardest part, It probably took me 45 minutes to get the whole thing on the glass." Adrien chuckled.

"Well, I'm gonna get the food ready and I'll let you know when its done. Do you want me to close the door?" Marinette asked. Adrien placed his guitar on its stand and stood up.

"No, its fine. I was just testing something. What are you gonna make?" Marinette walked down the hall into the kitchen, Adrien following close behind.

"Just a small thing, since its just the two of us." Adrien looked in the box Marinette brought over.

"Small? You've practically got a full fridge in this box." He sifted through the items, taking each thing out. "Green onions? Peppers? Pasta? What exactly are you making for us?" The black haired woman pulled out a small pot from Adriens shelf and filled it with water.

"Look, I'll just make pasta with veggies and I even brought some sausage to go with it."

"I should probably make those drinks then." Adrien shuffled into the kitchen, avoiding physical contact with the woman using his stove to cook pasta to grab the champaigne from his cabinet and the orange juice sitting in his fridge.

SONG PLAYING AT THIS MOMENT: [Smile - Sheppard](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hubWhrF6ZFc)

The blonde male poured the drinks and sat down at his low coffee table, two pillows sitting across from one another. He seated himself, staring into the kitchen watching the dark haired female chopping vegetables and pushing them off of the cutting board into a smaller pot to boil, adding a few spices and some pasta sauce to the veggies. Marinette hadn't noticed that Adrien was watching, she was too busy humming to the music playing from the sound system. Her hair bounced as she skipped around the kitchen, shifting from the stove to the counter, adding pieces of sausage to the small pot of sauce and checking the noodles. Adrien was so fixated on her movements that he hadn't noticed she was telling him that food was finished.

"What?" Adrien sat up from his terrible posture, his hand holding up his head and his drink in the other hand. "Oh, sorry. I was distracted."

Marinette placed a plate in front of him and one in front of her, taking her drink and holding it up in front of Adrien. "To friendship."

Adrien smirked. "To friendship." They clanked their glasses and took a sip of their drinks. They spend the night talking about their families, their favorite things and even their childhood. That night was the first night he'd felt so comfortable in a new place. Aside from the noisy cars in the street and the random cats greeting him at his window, Marinette had made him feel safe, welcome. She felt like home.

Marinettes phone beeped in her pocket. "Oh gosh, sorry." She pulled out her pink cased smart phone and shut off the alarm. "I have to go, I just remembered I have a deadline."

Adrien walked her to his front door. "Well, if you need some help, you're welcome to knock on my window." He chuckled, Marinette rolling her eyes.

"Thank you, handsome boy. I might take you up on that offer." The dark haired woman waved at him as she opened her door. Adrien closed his door and sighed.

"Time to get to work, then."


	2. A New Crush

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alya is introduced! Yay!~

Throughout the next couple of weeks, Marinette had drawn up a design for each song from the album she bought a month ago. The next step was taking them from the paper and actually making the outfits.

Adrien had watched Marinette work through her window, as stalker-ish as it was, but the blue eyed woman hadn't noticed that he was watching her. Throughout the couple of weeks, he wrote down notes in a small notepad, he marked how her cheeks reddened and how she shook as if a shiver went down her spine, or how her lips curled a bit. Whatever she was listening to through her earbuds caused an impact on her, because once she stopped drawing, she placed the sketch with a tumbtack on the wall in her living room. His green eyes scanned each piece of paper, one being completely different than the next, but all of them had something soft and familiar hidden. He couldn't put his finger on it, his thoughts were racing around in his mind as he stared at the pages on the wall, unaware that Marinette was crouching at the window where Adrien was sitting.

"Stalking is illegal, you know." Adrien jumped with surprise.

"You're gonna make me shit myself." The blonde haired man clutched at his chest again, his bottom hitting the cold, metal outside.

"Maybe don't stare through peoples windows, then." Marinette chuckled. "Now, whats got you looking over here? Interested in my work or something?" Marinette crossed her arms over her chest and stood up, towering over him, the window still in between them.

"I was just curious as to what you were working on. If you wanna keep it a secret, I'll leave." Adrien scratched the back of his head, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink. The dark haired woman in the window extended her hand, welcoming him inside.

"No need to keep the sketches a secret. Its the physical outfits that I hide." Adrien took ahold of her hand and stepped into her living room. It was white, no, there was a shade of pink in the room, as if there was light filter over the sun and it was shining through the window giving off a salmon color throughout the room. Instead of a couch, or even a television or radio, she had a large desk setup.

"Wow, is this an apartment or an office building?" Adrien commented. His laugh escaped through his closed mouth, muffled.

"I'll have you know that I work best without distractions." Her smile cracked through and he caught himself staring again. He shifted his eyes over to the desk. Marinette had a large screen for her computer attached to the wall, her keyboard and mouse completely wireless and a sketchbook sitting isolated with some pencils and eraser shavings attached to the table top next to the paper. Everything looked so organized, as if she knew where everything was, no labels in sight.

"If I would have known I would have company, I would have cleaned." She chuckled. "Would you like something to drink?"

"No thanks, I was just seeing what you were doing." Adrien pulled his hand up, affirming a stop signal with his palm facing her. "I have work to do, anyway. I apologise for intruding, My Lady." Marinette's eyes widened, her cheek growing red again.

The blue eyed woman cleared her throat and closed her eyes. "Well, if you'd like to see what I'm up to, just knock on my door. No need to be creepy, staring through my window." Adrien laughed.

"Thank you very much. Before I leave," Adrien took her hand, looking into her bright blue eyes, and asked, "Would you like to go out sometime?"

She was taken aback and her hands began to sweat. Suddenly, it was like she didn't know how to speak words. "I, uh-" Her face blossomed into a rosy pink color, how could she not speak correctly now? She'd done just fine the other night when she sat and talked with him about his life. She even cooked a nice meal for them. But, that was just a house warming dinner, right?

Adriens face wrinkled a bit. "Marinette?" She for sure thought she was going to faint. The way her name rolled off his tongue caused a shiver to race down her spine.

"Yes, Adrien!" Marinette shouted. She slammed her palm against her forehead. "Sorry, I have no idea why I answered like that." Adrien snorted, trying not to let the laugh in his throat from escaping, but it was a lost cause. The blonde began to laugh, hard.

"You're funny, Marinette." She blushed again, beginning to laugh with him.

After their laughing moment, Adrien said his goodbye, stating that he would give her the details later. Once he was out the door and the dark haired woman closed it behind him, she slammed her body against the door and slid down, her bottom hitting the carpet.

"I'm going on a date with Adrien." She covered her hot face with her hands and giggled to herself.

* * *

 

"So, a date huh? Sounds exciting!" Alya said, ecstatic for her best friend. "Its time you got out and had some fun. All you do is work." The brunette sipped her tea and pushed her hair behind her ear.

"I know, its just something new. He literally moved in a month ago, how the hell did I develop a crush on him so fast? It makes no sense!" Marinette raised her arms in the air as if she was shouting at the Gods before slamming her hands against her thighs in a fit.

"A month? Wow, thats really fast." Alya stood up and walked over to her paper filled wall. "I love this collection, has this what you wanted to show me?" Marinette took a swig of her water bottle and moved herself to where Alya was standing.

"Oh, yes. I just found this amazing album and I don't know what happened but I just started drawing. These six are the final ones I think are the best." Marinette smiled at her wall.

"What about this one?" Alya asked, pointing to a sketch pinned to the wall by itself. Marinette blushed.

"Its a new one, but its not for selling. It was just one I thought of yesterday." Alya raised her brow at Marinette.

"Right, don't tell the best online journalist in the country and your best friend, uh-huh. I'll remember that on your next birthday." Alya teased. It wasn't like she was trying to keep secrets. She just didn't know if she wanted to face the facts just yet.

"Alright, just don't share this on your website, okay? I don't need my fans to get upset over this." Alya pretended to zip up her lips, lock them, and throw away an invisble key. The dark haired woman placed her hand on the page, and smiled. "I designed this for him." Alya gleamed.

"I'll try to contain myself. Oh, who the hell am I kidding?" Alya began jumping up and down with excitement. "My precious bug is in love, I'm so happy!" The brown eyed woman collided with the blue eyed woman and they hugged in happiness and laughed.

A letter slid under Marinette's front door, going unnoticed until Alya left to her apartment on the floor below her.

"Looks like you have a love letter." Alya picked up the envelope and handed it to Marinette, presenting it with both hands and bowing. "My Lady." She mocked. Marinette laughed.

"Why, thank you, madam." She took the letter gracefully with one hand. "May I escort you to your living quarters?" Marinette laughed.

"Okay, thats enough of that. I gotta get started on this new article. I heard this old artist is making a comeback, so I'm gonna make some arrangements and schedule an interview with the manager." They both hugged and Alya made her way down the hall to the elevator.

Marinette shouted down the hall to Alya just as the elevator doors opened, "Whats the artist?"

Alya stepped into the elevator quickly, answering "Chat Noir!" Then, the elevator doors shut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this chapter was so short! I'm in the middle of moving and don't have much time to get all of the story out at once. Thank you for your positive comments! I will write a longer chapter next time.


	3. The First Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien and Marinette go on their first date. You're welcome.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Introducing more characters... Yeah, I'm trying.
> 
> Author's Note: Adrien was practicing a new song in his music room, thats why he didn't hear Alya and Marinette shouting. Tikki and Plagg are introduced as stuffed animals won at the arcade. Sorry I couldn't make them living objects at all. It is an AU, after all.
> 
> Enjoy this beautiful chapter, it took me all day to write.

Marinette felt excited. A date with a handsome guy and her new favorite instrumental artist was coming out with a new album? She had to have good luck or something. Before doing anything else, she shut her door and opened the letter in her hand.

"My Lady, would you like to accompany me to dinner tonight at eight? Signed, Adrien."

Her face was flushed, she had to write him back. Marinette sat at her desk and began to write out her letter.

Adrien had been trying to figure out something to eat and with all of the leftovers in his fridge, he was sure he could make anything. A knock at the door startled him, followed by a shifting sound. He walked over to his door and heard footsteps and a door open and close in the hall. The blonde man smiled, picking up the small letter and opening it.

"I accept. Your Lady." Adrien held the note in his hand and felt his heart skip a beat.

* * *

 

Alya tapped her pen against her notepad, the recording app open and ready for her to press on her cellphone. She checked the time on it, wondering how much longer it was going to take until her meeting with the manager of 'Chat Noir' was going to begin.

"He's ready for you." The receptionist called to Alya. With a determined smile, she stood up and walked over with an impressive stride, pushing open the door. The office wasn't very big, but it had room to sit at least a handful of people with walking space.

"Hello, Miss." The manager held out his hand, greeting her.

Alya shook his hand. "Thank you for meeting with me."

"Shall we?" He said, gesturing the chair in front of his desk. As Alya walked past him, she took her phone out and placed it on the desk.

"So, Mr. Nino, I'll be recording this interview. From what your assistant said on the phone, I'm not allowed to ask who is Chat Noir, is that correct?"

"Yes, madam. Its in their contract." Alya nodded, jotting down a note.

"Alright then, lets begin."

* * *

 

Adrien wanted to hug her at that moment. She stood in a redskirt with a white button up and a simple black overshirt, her hair in small pigtails and wore bright red flats. Sitting on her neck was a small ladybug necklace.

"You look beautiful." He proclaimed. A blush colored her cheeks.

"Th-thank you." Marinette stuttered. Adrien led the way to the elevator, Marinette following after him.  
Once downstairs, they walked out of the lobby to call for a taxi. One pulled up immediately. Adrien opened the door for Marinette, her body sliding into the backseat. The blonde whispered to the driver, giving him a location.

"Where are we going?" The dark haired woman asked.

"Well, I decided to we should go to Chili's since I've never been there." Marinette tried to contain her laughter.

"You poor soul." She giggled.

Their dinner was a two for twenty deal, getting an appetizer of spinach dip. During the evening, they talked about Marinettes life, and more. Marinette blushed each time she caught Adrien staring. Adrien would blush and look away from her when she looked up at him. After dinner was finished and paid for, the blonde turned and watched Marinette check her phone for a moment.

TEXTS:  
Alya: Oh my god, the interview went amazingly holy crap  
Mari: Tell me everything  
Alya: Spoilers! I'll let you read it when its finished like everyone else  
Mari: Oh poo! Ok txt you later  
Alya: Oh right forgot you were on that date ;)

"So, what would you like to do now?" Adrien asked, his head resting on his balled up fist with his elbow resting on the table. Marinette didn't go on dates often, so she couldn't really think of anything.

"Anywhere is fine. Night's not over." He smiled. He knew exactly where to go.

They walked for awhile before reaching a local arcade, filled with people playing all kinds of games.

Adrien looked over at Marinette to see her eyes shine and her smile light up her face. The luminescent games created a sky blue in her eyes, it was like he'd never known the color blue was until that very moment. Seeing her this way caused his heart to skip a beat. "Really?" Adrien nodded.

"Why not? You said the night wasn't over. And it won't be until I've beaten you at least a few times." Adrien smirked.

"You're on." Marinette agreed to do battle with him at plenty of the games. They started with a shooting game. A couple of rounds and Marinette was winning. Adrien offered to do that driving game, but Adrien wasn't winning at all. Finally, a dance game. Neither of them won that one, but it was still fun to play. Exhausted, Adrien grabbed Marinette and himself some water to cool off from the dance battle.

"That was so fun." Marinette exclaimed.

"I did so paw-ful." Adrien joked. Marinette giggled a little.

"Really? A cat pun?" She questioned. Adrien shrugged his shoulders.

"Thought it would be funny to try out." Before they left the arcade they saw a claw machine with some stuffed animals inside. Marinette stared into the glass box, eyeing the large plush ladybug. "Let's grab one before we head out." Adrien looked at Marinette, her eyes glowing again.

Adrien pushed some coins into the machine and dragged the claw to the plush ladybug, and pressed down onto the large button for the claw to drop. Marinette sweat in anticipation. The ladybug was caught, but she was staring intensely at the claw, her face pressing against the glass.

Luckily, it made its way to the drop off area and Marinetter retrieved it, smiling and hugging it. "My turn." She smirked.

Marinette pushed the coins into the machine and began to strategize what she was going to pick. "Since you said that silly cat pun, I'm gonna get that stuffed black cat for you." Her hand moved the joystick, making sure it was hovering over the plush cat and quickly she pressed down on the big button. Adrien watched her concentrate, he could feel the energy coming from her, and before he had time to react to the plush falling into the claw drop, Marinette looked into Adriens green eyes, the lights from the claw machine flickered and sounds played, congratulating the player on a successful win. Marinette wasn't sure if this was what love felt like, but she didn't want to look away.

They both arrived at Marinettes apartment door, their silence being a little too awkward for comfort. "I had a lot of fun, Adrien." Marinette looked into his eyes again.

"Me too." Adrien looked back into hers. She noticed he was getting closer to her and she felt like her heart was beating loud enough for him to hear it.

"We should do this again soon." Her eyes were fixated on his lips, and she saw that he was looking at hers as well.

"Definitely." His breath was on her now, and little push could collide their lips together. Thats when Marinette dropped her stuffed ladybug plush and Adrien tripped on it as she opened her apartment door behind her. He fell on top of her, their lips finally meeting. It was like the room was spinning. Her world was turning in all directions and she wasn't sure what was going on. All she knew was Adrien was on her and his lips were touching hers. A moment passed when Adrien pulled away and realization slapped him in the face.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I tripped and just-" The blonde got up immediately and pulled the dark haired woman up from the floor, apologizing.

"It's okay, thank you." Marinette was sure she looked like a tomato with how red her face was at that moment. She couldn't look up at him, her embarrassment meter was on maximum.

"I should go, goodnight, My Lady." Adrien walked backwards into the hall and sprinted to his door. Marinette shut hers as soon as he left.

That night, Marinette held that stuffed ladybug and whispered, "Tikki, he kissed me."

That night, Adrien sat his stuffed cat and stated, "Plagg, I kissed her."


	4. Contest

Marinette looked at the page, undecided on whether or not to make the actual design. Her heart was confused as to what to do at all. Placing the paper back onto the wall, she chose to think about something else for awhile. The silence was driving her mad, so the blue eyed woman opened up Pandora and selected a station.

PLAYING AT THIS MOMENT: [Pretty Thoughts - Alina Baraz & Galimatias](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrHw9BDa3OE)

Remembering that Alya wrote that article of her current favorite artist, she sat at her desk and opened up the website.

"Inside Look: Manager Nino is letting the Chat Out Of The Bag"

Marinette chuckled, "Terrible."

"I got to sit down with manager Nino of the infamous Chat Noir, whom is to remain anonymous because its in their contract."

Her blue eyes felt a bit sad that she couldn't find out who it was, but she continued to read the article.

"Q: What do you think we can expect from Chat Noir in the next album?"

"A: Just like the last album, it will be an inspiration of a beautiful person. Their first album was inspired by the artists mother and they took great pride in their work."

"Q: Manager Nino, will this album be instrumental like the first one?"

"A: Yes, in fact. They have always had a sound for it, and to be quite honest, they can't sing whatsoever. Also, I find their work to be better without lyrics."

"Q: Why won't Chat Noir let producers use their music in movies or TV Shows?"

"A: They don't want people to enjoy the music because of someone else's work. Their first album was inspired by their mother and using that music in other works makes the emotions they put into the work invisible."

"Q: You mentioned that they use inspiration from beautiful people in order to make their music. My question here is are they dating?"

"A: As far as I know, no they aren't."

"Q: Is that so? If they were dating, would they tell their partner that they are Chat Noir?"

"A: In the past, we've had many issues with ex-partners, many wanting to know what their public name was, but because its in their contract, they aren't allowed to expose it."

"Q: Are we allowed to know their sexual orientation or gender?"

"A: Sadly, no. Its included in their contract."

"Q: Anything we can look forward to in the future?"

"A: Yes! Chat Noir will be holding a contest and the winner gets an autographed album and a blindfolded meeting."

Underneath the questions and answers was a small ad. It was decorated with small paint spills on a white base. The words were written in green, 'Chat Noir' at the top, smeared as if someone wiped their hand over the words.

"Go to ChatNoirContest.com to enter. No purchase required." Marinette smiled, clicking on the ad. It redirected to the site. Blushing, she grabbed her stuffed ladybug whom she named Tikki.

"If I type in my information, I'm going to be entered in this contest. I wonder if I'll get picked." She hugged her plush and took a deep breath, nervous as she set the soft toy back down. Her fingers typed away at her keyboard, and a few minutes later, she clicked 'enter' and it sent her to a completion page.

Suddenly, a call came through her phone. It was Alya.

"Hello?"

"Did you read my article? I bet you clicked on that contest immediately." Marinette blushed.

"Yes, so what?" Marinette clicked out of the browser and turned around to face her kitchen.

"I'm rooting for you, girl! Hey, put that down! Sorry I'm babysitting at the moment." Alya started yelling at a kid. "Mom said no, dinner is gonna be done in a few minutes so don't eat that! Hey Mari I gotta go, but call me later." Then, she hung up. Marinette placed her phone on her desk and started up at her design wall.

"How am I gonna get this done? I don't even know if he'll like it." She took ahold of Tikki again, trying to feel comforted by the inanimate object. "Maybe if I invite him over to test out my clothes..."

An hour and a half went by and Marinette was hard at work, cutting patterns and labeling each design with its own unique name. The last one was still undecided as an official outfit, but she was hoping Adrien would try it out before choosing to add it to the latest collection.

Meanwhile...

Adrien pressed the keys on the electric keyboard, playing out a tune he wasn't sure was just right. Frustrated, he turned off the device and walked out of the room to get a bottle of water from his fridge. "I just can't get the damn song right. I wish I had something more for it." Just then, his phone rang.

"Yo, Adrien my man, hows that new album coming?" Nino asked in a very obnoxious tone. Adrien just rolled his eyes.

"Another creative block. Hey, did you do that interview?" Adrien took a sip of his water.

"Yeah, it was very short, but you should give it a look. I have a huge surprise for you, by the way." Another eye roll from Adrien before he headed to his computer that sat in front of his bed in his bedroom. A few short clicks later and Adrien shouts.

"Are you fucking serious, Nino?!" Adrien was furious.

"Why are you yelling?" Nino laughed. Adrien scrolled down and saw the contest. It had over a hundred entries already.

"A contest? I wasn't told anything about this! How will I know this will work? What if someone takes off the blindfold when they meet me? What if my dad finds me?! You know how he is!" Adriens thoughts just left his mouth like word vomit. He couldn't control himself.

Nino started yelling back. "Dude, relax, calm down! Nothing is gonna happen, I promise!" After a few minutes and breathing exercises later, Adrien was finally able to speak normally.

"So, whats the plan here?" Adrien crossed his arms after placing his phone between his shoulder and his ear.

"Okay, the contest is over in a week. We'll go through the names and decide randomly. Whomever is chosen will get to meet you with a blindfold on. Don't worry, we will not be picking your father at all, and it's going to be a secret meeting. Their will be security there, and they will be sworn to secrecy. The meeting will only last half an hour, then they'll leave. Thats it." Adrien paced his apartment as Nino spoke. Was he really going to do this? Can he handle this contest and what this will mean to the person who gets chosen?

Adrien sighed. "Do I really have a choice now? The contest already started. Let's just hope no minors try to grope me." Nino laughed again. A knock at Adriens window caused him to stop pacing.

"No problem. The winner will get rules sent to them through their mailbox and their email." Adrien looked up out the window to see Marinette waving.

"Hey Nino, I gotta go. But give me a call when the contest is over." Adrien hung up the call and slipped his phone into his pocket before opening the window and welcoming the woman inside.  
  
"Hello Marinette. How are the designs coming along?" Adrien shut the window after Marinette stepped inside.

"They're actually going to have a physical form soon. That's what I came over for, by the way." Adrien turned to see Marinette fully. Her hair was down again. She wasn't looking at him, which made his stomach turn a little.

"What is it?" He started feeling a little nauseous.

"I need a model, someone to wear my designs when the first draft is done. I was hoping you would help me." Adrien noticed her cheeks glow a shade of pink.

"I would be happy to. Uhm, just let me know when you'll need me to come over and try them on."

Marinette combed through her dark locks with her bandaged fingers. "Actually..."

"What?" Adrien felt nervous now. What was she going to say next? He was so busy looking at her damaged hands that he completely missed what she said.

"I need you to be my mannequin. I have to pin the pieces together and..."

"Wait what?" Adrien started blushing, confused as to what she was asking of him.

"You have to be in your underwear."


	5. Model Mother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's quite short, but the content is worth it.

Adrien hadn't modeled in a long time. When he was a child, he'd help his mother with getting ready for shoots, even appearing in some photos as a stand in when the child models would not arrive on time or refuse to comply. He had no problem with doing this for his mother because afterwards, she'd always give him a smile and a warm hug, telling him he was a good boy and he did a good job. Something his father did not like.

"You're going to turn him into a sissy!" Gabriel shouted.

"Don't say that about your son. You are too hard on him." Adrien would always hear them shouting at each other, which usually followed by his father walking into his room and slapping him in the face.

"You're going to be a man, stop doing what your mother wants you to do."

"Adrien?" Marinette spoke, shaking him back to reality.

"Sorry, uhm, that sounds fine, no problem. Let me know when you need me." Adrien ended the call, then started crying. His mother would be so happy to know he didn't give up helping someone out when they needed it. And to know that Marinette, someone he really liked, needed his help designing her clothes, his mother would be so proud of him. After cleaning off his face in the bathroom, a knock at the door shook him with anxiety.

"Okay, you can do this. Not a big deal." Adrien headed for the door, opening it to see Marinette blushing and looking up from her feet.

"You can come over now. I have everything ready. I know its sudden, but I've gotta get started immediately. I hope you don't mind, really." Marinette pressed her hands together in front of her face, as if apologizing for rear ending some poor guys car in the middle of a highway.

Adrien waved his hand in front of her. "No, no! It's totally okay, I know you need it."

Adrien closed his door, locked it behind him, sliding his keys into his pocket and followed Marinette to her door. She led him to her back room, completely cluttered in fabric pieces with one spot in the middle being completely cleared.

"Okay, you can change in the bathroom, when you're done please stand here. I have to pin all these pieces together." Marinette pointed to a certain pile of fabric, a small box of pins sitting next to it.

"It's fine, I can do it right here." Adrien then, began to strip right in front of Marinette. Filled with embarrassment and shock, she just stood there staring as Adrien pulled off his shirt. She swallowed what saliva was collecting in her mouth. Unable to look away, she watched him unbuckle his belt and unzipping his jeans, his arms and abdomen twitching from the movement of almost tripping over the legs of his pants.

Wearing nothing but underwear now, she cleared her throat. "Okay, so I hope you don't mind, but I have to play music while I do this." Adrien shook his head.

"An artist needs to have their muse." As if she was sure he would not mind, she pressed play on her phone, immediately playing a track from the very album that had inspired the entire collection that was still in pieces across the floor.

SONG PLAYING AT THE MOMENT: [Life and Death - Paul Cardall](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jluCcb_iBvQ)

Adrien stood still. Nods in his stomach, he wasn't able to move even if Marinette told him to. His heart had felt like it stopped beating in his chest. It was his music. His music helped her create the sketches that were still thumb tacked to the wall in her living room. He didn't even remember to breathe. Memories of his mother flood through his mind. He remembered the day he wrote this song.

"It's terminal, Adrien." His mother laid in her bed, weak from her doctor visit. Adrien had taken her to the doctor and hadn't said a word the whole drive home. He was frightened at what her physician had told her, afraid that he would have to lose the one person in his life that loved him.

Adrien broke down. He laid his head on his mothers bed, her hand brushing through his locks, the same locks he inherited from her. She smiled at him. That day was the day he told her about his first album.

"This album was inspired by you." He softly sobbed into her sheets. "I wanted you to hear it before I release it. What if I don't finish it in time?"

She hushed him, trying to lift his head up to look at her. "It's okay, Adrien. I'm going to be able to hear it when its finished, because I will always be with you."

Marinette began to pin the pieces of cloth together around Adrien's torso. She noticed the shocking look on his face. She waved her hand in front of his face.

"Adrien, you okay?"

Still shocked, he whispered, "Thats..."

"I know, right? It's popular, I heard. I always get my inspiration from music. To be honest, I wasn't sure if this collection would be good enough for the masterpiece that is Chat Noir." Marinette covered her mouth, giggling.

"Sorry, I interrupted you. What were you going to say?"

His heart heavy in his chest, and a tear in his eye, he blinked to let it stream down his cheek. His shining green eyes stared into her shimmering blue ones.

"Marinette, that's... my music."


	6. Cherry Wine Winner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drunk Marinette and singing Adrien. You're fucking welcome.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've found the perfect cover of the song, Cherry Wine by Hozier. The cover is by Josh Schott, he's my headcanon singing voice for Adrien in this. Please enjoy it! 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7vdyv2Lh-o

Marinette dropped the fabric in her hands. Her face grew a dark shade of red, and with her hands, she covered her face in embarrassment.

"Oh my gosh... You're crying." Adrien turned around, wiping his face.

"Sorry."

In their silence, the song played through to the end. Marinette turned it off before the next track went through. "You're.... Chat Noir?" She whispered.

Adrien nodded.

"But, your contract-" Adrien turned around to face her.

"I know." Marinette stepped over the fabric on her floor, her feet parallel to Adriens. Her eyes looked up into his, unsure of how to continue the very awkward and shocking conversation.

"Maybe we should keep this to ourselves?" Marinette whispered to Adrien. He laughed. His face wrinkled up around his lips and he laughed.

"That sounds like a great idea." Marinette giggled back at Adriens approving answer. Then he planted his lips on hers, her hands went around his waist and his hands were on her upper arms.

A buzzing sound from her phone across the quiet room forced them to stop their kiss. "Oh gosh, sorry. My best friend probably messaged me." Marinette bounced around the fabric still all over her floor and picked up her phone.

"Hold on." Marinette told Adrien, calling Alya immediately. "Why are you screaming? Wait, what? OH MY GOSH. Thats really awesome seriously but, I gotta go! I'm working!" Then, she ended the call.

"What is it?" Adrien questioned.

"Your manager asked out my best friend." Marinette looked so confused and weirded out. Then, Adrien started laughing louder than before.

"This day has been so weird." He stated.

Marinette placed her hands on her hips. "And why is that?" A smirk was plastered across her face.

"Come on, really?"

"I'm just joking." Marinette danced over her fabric again, planting her feet in front of Adrien's again. "Now, can we get back to the reason you're actually here in your underwear?" Adrien nodded still chuckling.

* * *

 

After a very strange day of pinning several outfits together, Adrien left Marinette's apartment with plans to continue his own work. That night, they both worked hard, staring at their stuffed animals they won on their first date. Marinette sewed for hours while Adrien composed a new song about his experience with his very lovely neighbor. After a couple of weeks passed, Marinette called Adrien over and he tried on the first outfit she had sewn up.

"How do I look?" Adrien asked. Marinette smiled.

"Quite handsome, and the outfit looks great too." Adrien laughed.

"So, is this part of your new collection?" She blushed at his question.

"Actually, I made that outfit for you. I wanted to make a line of mens clothes, but since I've never done it, I had to use a model. Thank you, Adrien."

"Anytime, my lady." Her cheeks grew pink at the nickname. "By the way..." He continued.

"What is it?" Marinette was cleaning up her sewing materials as he was talking.

"Would you like to have dinner at my place again? As a date?" Adrien stood awkwardly in the doorway of the room.

"That sounds fun, just don't make me cook for you again." Marinette giggled and turned to face him, leaning up against her sewing table.

"I'll have you know I have been practicing okay? I have a plan, all I need is you to be there."

"Change out of that, and then I'll give you an answer." Adrien smiled at her, sprinting to the bathroom to change.

Adrien came back, ready to hear her answer. "So? Is that a yes?"

"I need a time and date. I have to make sure I can make room for you in my busy schedule." Her sass was teasing him.

"What about tomorrow? I get to hear the winner of my contest, of course, you probably knew that already. So, I'd like to celebrate my first contest with someone." Adriens hands fiddled with the bottom hem of his shirt.

"Oh my gosh, I totally forgot. I've been busy sewing that I didn't even remember that. My bestie will probably text me when the winner is selected."

"So, is that a yes?" Adrien was actually blushing.

"Yes, kitty." He chuckled. "What?"

"You called me kitty. That's so weird." Adrien laughed more. Marinette joined in the laughter.

"Yeah, that is a little weird." Adrien left her apartment excited, frantic about getting to the store and buying ingredients. Of course, he hadn't really been practicing. He'd been so busy making music that he barely had time to make his own food.

"Are you kidding me, dude? You gotta know that women love it when men know how to cook. It's like number one in the dating rule book. Do I have to teach you everything?" Nino was growing annoyed.

"Shut up, it's serious man." Adrien was picking out vegetables at the grocery store, throwing some green onions and tomatoes in his basket. "What if its not good, that's the only issue I'm having right now."

"Look dude, if this chick likes you, she'll be happy with whatever you give her. You could cook a rat on a plate and she'll eat it, that's all that matters." Another voice spoke to Nino.

"Get off the phone and spend time with me, hunny."

"Alright man, I gotta go. Good luck, I'll call you tomorrow with the winner." Nino ended the call, leaving Adrien with his thoughts.

* * *

 

The next day, Adrien worked hard in the kitchen. He chopped the veggies and sauted them, baked fish with lemon slices and placed everything on the plates before Marinette came and knocked on his door.

"Welcome my lady. May I take your coat?" Adrien bowed to Marinette, who was giggling at him.

"Why thank you, sir." She peeled off her hoodie and handed it to the blonde male who then placed it in the storage closet behind the front door. She set herself at the table and was presented with baked fish sauted green onions with tomatoes and white rice.

"So, what would you like to drink?" Adrien opened his cupboard, at the ready.

"I'd like just some wine. Figured we could be classy."Adrien nodded to Marinette, pouring his only bottle of red wine into two very different wine glasses and setting them at the table with the dinner plates.

"So, how is your work coming along?" She asked before taking a sip of her wine.

"Stressful, I'm working on the new album and I'm actually kind of nervous about it." Marinette took a bite of her fish and hummed.

"Mmm! This is really good! I'm impressed."

"Thank you. I did slave over that oven in the kitchen for about an hour." Marinette giggled at his sassy remark. Adrien watched Marinette take another bite of her fish, this time with a small bite of the veggies and rice. Her lips stretched over her face and took a quick sip of her wine to wash it down.

"What about you? How is your work going?" Adrien took bites of his food, cautiously waiting Nino's call.

"Actually, I met up with someone at the company and they are really happy with my new line. We're going to have a show for the line soon. I don't know when exactly, but I have told them I want to hand pick the right models for them. I want to show the world my work in the best way." Adrien smiled at her.

"I'm so proud of you." Marinette blushed, her eyes sparkled in the sunsets light come from outside the window. "Oh, should I have put on music or something?"

Marinette chuckled. "Why not? You won't get that call for another what, forty five minutes?"

Adriens smile calmed her a little, she was nervous to see if she'd won, even though she already knew who Chat Noir was.

Adrien walked to his music room and grabbed his guitar. "Whats with the musical instrument? Gonna give me a sneak peek?" She giggled.

"Actually, this isn't my song, but I think it fits the moment." Adrien pulled the stool from the corner and sat down on it in front of Marinette whom still sat on the pillow at the table.

Adrien tested the tuning of the guitar before beginning the song.

SONG PLAYING AT THE MOMENT: [Cherry Wine - Hozier](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7vdyv2Lh-o) (Cover by Josh Schott)

Marinette traced her finger around the rim of her glass, listening to Adrien sing for the first time. The alcohol in her drink made the moment feel kind of dreamlike, her heart beating in her chest was quiet but she knew it was beating the same pace as the music. His voice melted over her, and like butter, she softened herself a little more. Her work stress and anxiety from the contest just disappeared. Adrien finished singing, kneeling down to her level and kissing her. He tasted the wine on her lips, and he felt her pulling him into her. They eventually ended up kissing on the floor of his living room before remembering there was food on the table and Marinette sat up.

"We better eat this before it gets cold." Adrien giggled at her drunken state. Adrien turned on the radio, playing a random station while they both ate their dinner.

Once they finished, they sat at the table, watching the phone with anticipation.

The phone rang. Adrien put it on speakerphone. Marinette was shushed since she was giggling.

"Alright dude, we picked a winner. Are you alone?" Marinette held her laughter in, covering her mouth with her hands.

"Yeah, just tell me already."

"The winner is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, she literally lives next door." Nino announced.

"Thats my bestie, I'm so happy! I gotta go call her!" A voice was heard over the phone.

"Who is that, your girlfriend?" Adrien joked.

"Yeah, shut up. I'll call you tomorrow." Nino ended the call, followed by Marinette's phone ringing.

"Hello?"

"YOU WON THE CONTEST!"

"Sweet! I'm drunk, so I'll call you when I'm sober."

"Girl, I'm coming over tomorrow no worries." Marinette hung up her phone call and fell over on the floor.

SONG PLAYING AT THE MOMENT: [The Best Is Yet To Come - Sheppard](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO6H7k907Dc)

Adrien crawled over to her and laid next to her. They faced each other, sighing and listening to the music play.

"Weirdest week ever."


	7. Secrets & Lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I had terrible writers block for this chapter, so I'm sorry this isn't like, the best. Enjoy it anyway.

The next day, Marinette had just finished her meeting with her business video call. She knew that Alya would be arriving soon to stay the night, as they do a few times a month when they aren't working. The dark haired woman kept looking at the time, pacing and wondering when her best friend would get there. A knock at the door caused excitement in her.

"Hey girl! I brought you a present!"Alya shouted, handing Marinette a bottle of red wine. A smile grew across her face, remembering the date she had with Adrien from the night before.

"Thanks, Alya. Now, lets get the night started!" Marinette closed her front door and brought the spare folding chair out of the closet for Alya to sit on. They spent most of their sleepovers chatting about their boyfriends, sometimes work, and even stuff online that has their minds racing. Tonight, it was their men.

"How's that amazing boy of yours from next door?" The brunette raised her eyebrow sipping her glass of wine. Marinette's cheeks grew pink.

"Actually pretty well. I was on a date when you called me last night, and it was wonderful. He made dinner for us and sang me a song."

"That sounds so romantic. I wish Nino would do that for me."

"Speaking of, how is he?" Marinette sipped her wine.

Alya sighed, placing her hand on her forehead and rubbing her temple. "He's got me worked up, girl. Ya know, I was there when he called Chat Noir about the contest. That's how I knew you won it. I can't believe you got picked, though. Are you excited?"

Marinette thought about it. Was she? She already knew who he was, but she couldn't tell her best friend, that would be wrong. And breaking Adriens contract would not be good for him or Nino.

"Girl you okay there?"

"Yeah, sorry. I'm probably still in shock that I won, so the excitement hasn't kicked in yet. Anyway, how was your night with Nino?"

"It was fine, had a couple hours in his bed, followed by a movie and pizza. He's the only guy I know that will order pizza before sex, and once it arrives, we eat it in his bed while we watch tv. Honestly, its pretty great."

"Wow, that sure is something." Alya nodded.

"What about you? Have you done anything with the boy next door?" Marinette blushed again. She felt so embarrassed.

"We made out last night. That was about it, so far." Alya nearly spit out her wine that was in her mouth.

"Seriously? How long will this last before you guys bang?"

Marinette covered her face. "Oh my gosh, don't say that. I feel weird enough that I used him to make my new line."

"You WHAT?!" Alya placed her glass on Marinettes desk and shouted. "What happened?!"

"Well, I asked him to help me since it would be my first male clothing line, and you know I don't have a male mannequin so he was glad to help. He even tried on the finished products."

"How did he look?"

Marinette blushed. "His butt looked fantastic." Alya chuckled.

"I bet."

Marinette slapped Alya's shoulder, feeling the shame in her grow a little. "Shut up! Seriously, though. He was really touched that I made him an outfit, though."

"Aw, thats so sweet, I think I have diabetes now." Alya joked. Her humor was a little weird, but Marinette would always laugh.

"Very funny. Now, lets do a little article reading before we end the night with Netflix."

* * *

A WEEK LATER...

Marinette woke up to her alarm, alerting her of what day it was. Frantic, she headed to the bathroom to was her face, then stared into her mirror. She had no idea how this day would go, but she was looking forward to this before she found out who Chat Noir was.

"This is ridiculous, why did I go along with this weird meeting? If I didn't do it, what would happen to the lucky winner who got picked instead of me? What if I slip up and talk to him normally like I do here? Oh no, what if I get him in trouble?" Marinette put her head in her hands, unable to figure out what to do in this situation.

The woman searched through her clothes, trying to find out what to wear. After about half an hour, she chose to look simple. White button up top that hugged her waist, a pair of faded jeans she only wore for casual outings, and her old pair of tennis shoes. She was surprised that they still fit her. Then again, she hadn't grown that much since she was fifteen, so most of her teenage clothes still fit her comfortably well. Marinette checked the time on her phone.

"Okay, I still have time to grab a bite to eat before the meetup. As long as the traffic isn't terrible." Calling a taxi, she headed to a local cafe to pick up a cup of coffee and a crepe. God, how she loved french sweets.

An hour later, she arrived at the destination. The building was an old hotel, mostly for tourists to stay. She pulled out her phone to read the email she was sent with instructions. "Okay, looks like I have to go to the front desk and just tell them I'm here to meet Chat Noir. Easy." Marinette entered the hotel, which was surprisingly empty. The lobby was small, only 3 chairs and a coffee table sat by the tall window facing the street. The front desk had a stack of business cards for the hotel, a bell, and a single employee looking at their phone.

"Excuse me?" Marinette spoke. The woman continued to look at her phone. She stared at the bell before ringing it. "Hello?"

Looking up, the woman at the desk put down her phone. "Sorry about that, hello what can I do for you?"

"I'm here to meet Chat Noir. The email I received stated I just say that to the front desk." Marinette stated, nervously rubbing the nape of her neck.

"Yes, let me call someone to escort you." The woman picked up the phone at the desk, pressed a few buttons and said, "The young lady is here, sir," before putting the phone down and looking up at Marinette.

"Please wait here, someone will be down shortly." Marinette nodded, watching the woman pick her phone back up to look at whatever her eyes were glued to before she interrupted her.

A few minutes passed and the elevator dinged. A man walked up to her, handing her a folder. "Hello, Miss Marinette Dupain-Cheng, my name is Ivan, I'll be escorting you up to the room you will meet Chat Noir. Please read over the paperwork in the folder and sign it." He handed her a pen. "You must agree to all statements made in the folder or you will not meet Chat Noir. Understand?" Marinette looked up at the tall, muscular man and nodded. He sure was scary to look at.

After signing a couple of sheets of paper, Marinette handed over the folder to the bodyguard. "Put your electronic devices in this box." Marinette listened to the man, placing her entire purse into the box, which was then sealed with a metal clasp. They sure try to keep his identity a secret, she thought to herself.

"Follow me." Marinette trailed Ivan, heading to the elevator. Still a little weirded out, she wondered how Adrien was doing. He must be nervous.

"Okay, dude. Five more minutes, you ready?" Nino asked. Adrien looked at himself in the mirror again. He knew that Marinette wouldn't be looking at him, but he still made sure his hair was in the right place and his shirt wasn't dirty at all.

"Yeah, I think I am."

"Miss, put this on." Ivan handed her a blindfold, which she obediently slipped onto her face. Ivan held his hand out, making sure Marinette could grab a hold of his hand. Once she had a firm grip on his helping hand, Ivan led her down a hallway which seemed to go on forever. She was starting to sweat. Eventually, they stopped walking and Ivan knocked on a door. After a few seconds, the door opened, and Ivan guided Marinette into the room. The blindfolded woman was seated in a chair, listening to the many footsteps. Suddenly, someone was standing in front of her.

"Hello, Marinette my name is Nino."

"Hello. Its nice to meet you."

"Now, I would like to let you know a few things before you meet Chat Noir." Marinette nodded.

"Okay."

"So, first things first. The reason we have to blindfold you is because we need to make sure Chat Noirs identity is kept a secret. Do you know why?"

"Its part of his contract and breaking his contract can make him lose his job."

"Exactly. Next, I'd like to let you know that you are allowed to ask questions, in fact ask anything you'd like as long as it doesn't include the important stuff like his name, where he lives, ectera."

"Okay, no problem."

"Alright, well, I'll just go get the person you came to meet."

Nino walked away, leaving Marinette alone with Ivan, whom stood in the corner of the room by the front door. Minutes rolled by in silence. The door on the other side of the room opened, and footsteps were heard. Adrien sat in front of Marinette, completely nervous at the site of her. His cheeks were flushed, seeing Marinette blindfolded, and her black locks down by her shoulders. He didn't think he'd be all flustered seeing Marinette like this. Clearing his throat, he began to speak.

"Hello. Its nice to meet you." Marinette tried to hold her laughter in.

"Hello, Chat Noir."

"Your name is Marinette, correct?"

"Yes it is."

"Do you have any questions?"

"Not right now. My mind is kind of blank at the moment."

"Okay, we have an hour to kill." Marinette smiled.

They sat there together, completely unsure of what to say. Marinette tried thinking of a question to ask, when she remembered that day she discovered who he was.

"I have a question now."

"Okay, ask away My Lady." She giggled.

"Your first album, who inspired you to write that?"

"My mother. She was a beautiful french model."

"Who is your new album inspired by?"

"A beautiful woman I met about a month ago." Marinette blushed. Was he talking about her?

"Do you mind if I ask what she looks like?"

"I don't think I'm allowed to say."

"Okay, fair enough."

They sat together, quietly. Marinette was running out of things to say.

"May I ask why you keep your identity a secret?" Adrien felt a little anxious now. He wanted to tell her, but he was afraid that his father would find him somehow.

"Because its part of my contract."

"I mean, its not normal. Do you do it for safety purposes? Why am I blindfolded?"

Ivan, still standing by the front door, cleared his throat. "That's classified information, ma'am."

"Sorry." Marinettes hands were fidgeting with her shirt, still unable to think of questions. They sat there most of the time in silence. Adrien watched her grow uncomfortable by the second.

"So, where did you hear about my music?" Adrien asked, trying to keep the conversation going. The meeting felt like it was taking a long time, and he actually wanted to end it early. _This was a terrible idea._

"Oh, I was browsing for new music and this lady at a small music store told me that it was really good. I heard a sample and just fell in love with it." Marinette smiled, her cheeks growing rosy pink, very nervous that he asked her this question.

Ivan cleared his throat. "You have five more minutes." Marinette and Adrien sighed, they were so ready to end this awkward meeting.

"Has anyone told you that you are very beautiful?" Adrien complimented her.

"Yes, my boyfriend has. Well, I think we're together. I still don't know what we are." Biting her lip anxiously, Adrien placed his hand on hers to calm her.

"Maybe it was official when you started dating him." His hands were sweaty, but Marinette didn't want his hand to leave. Nino walked in, seeing how close they were. He raised an eyebrow, watching the timer on his watch count down to zero.

"Alright, the meeting is over. Thank you very much, Marinette. We have left a signed poster for you on the table. Please continue to support Chat Noir."

"Of course I will." Marinette still sat in her chair, her blindfold still attached to her. Adrien stood up and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. He sighed, unsatisfied with the meetup. Ivan escorted Marinette back to the main lobby where she was allowed to see again. Her poster in her hands, she took a taxi back to her apartment where she waited for the next day to begin. Her heart felt heavy, like their meeting didn't go well.

Taking ahold of her stuffed ladybug, she sighed. "It would have been better if I didn't know who he was before this."

Nino sat in his car, waiting for Adrien to respond to his question. "Dude, what the hell was that?"

"What do you mean?" Adrien scrolled through his phone.

"I mean, you were a bit too friendly with that young lady. Whats going on?" Nino looked serious, his eyes burning through Adrien.

"Do you know something I don't, Adrien?" The blonde could feel himself sweat. Can he really do this? He didn't want to get into any trouble. But what could he do? His heart pounded in his chest, anxiety getting worse.

"What are you implying? That I know this girl?" Adrien placed his phone into his pocket, staring back at Nino.

"I get the feeling that you do, okay? You know that this could get a lot worse if she knows you, too." Adrien ruffled his hair.

"I know okay! I'm under a lot of pressure here, please can we just talk about this later? I'm exhausted." Adrien looked out of the window, seeing his apartment building.

"Okay, but we are gonna talk about this issue when I come by for your track demos." Nino shouted at Adrien, his friend exiting the car and slamming the car door behind him.

"Looks like I'll have to do some investigating." Nino pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

Alya began writing an article about the mayor when her phone rang. "Hey hun, whats up? How did that meetup thing go with Chat Noir?"

"It went very strange. I'd like you to do a little snooping around for me, if thats okay."

"Who might I ask is this person I need to watch?" Alya stopped typing to pull up a file folder on her desktop she had created a few weeks prior.

"Your best friend, Marinette. There's something that she's hiding and I don't like it." Alya sighed, combing her fingers through her messy hair.

"I figured you'd ask me sooner or later." Alya examined her open folder on her desktop screen. Photos of Marinette with Adrien, a document filed under the name "Secrets", and audio files titled "MA convos". "I'll come over tonight and show you what I've got so far." The brunette grew nervous, but smiled at this opportunity, her investigating finally being put to use. "Someone actually called me about a month ago, since I'm so good at all this stuff."

Nino felt a shiver roll down his spine. _It can't be..._ "What was the name of this person who called?"

* * *

 

Alya sat at her desk, bored out of her mind. She needed to get a story soon or her fans would start to complain. Her phone rang at just the right moment.

"Hello, thanks for calling, this is Alya, blogger and investigator. What are you calling about?"

"Hello Miss Alya. My name is Chloe, I need you to do some investigating on an old ex of mine. His name is Adrien Agreste. I heard you're the best person to do all this mumbo jumbo. I'll pay you handsomely. My father is the mayor, so yeah." Her voice sounded like the typical white girl. Daddy's money to satifsy her, enough Starbucks to fuel an army, and all the freedom to do as she pleased without lifting any of her freshly manicured fingers.

"Not a problem, Miss Chloe. Lets schedule a meeting to discuss this more in detail." Alya wrote down a date and time to meet her new client, ending the phone call with a sigh of relief. Sure, she had a new story, but what why did it have to be her best friend?

* * *

 

"Shit." Nino laid his head in his free hand, the other obviously holding his phone to his ear.

"Whats the deal?"

"Thats the ex I told you about. The one who wanted to ruin Chat Noir's life for dumping her." Alya facepalmed, how could she have known?

"Why are you telling me this? Isn't this against their contract? Wait, what do we do now? I'm so confused!" Alya panicked.

"Come over tonight, we'll talk about then. I have to go to another meeting right now. Stay calm. And absolutely do not tell anyone about this." Nino ended the call, slipping his phone into his pocket and exited the car to head to his meeting into the building the car was parked in front of.

"I am so screwed." Alya slammed her phone down on her desk, pacing around her office. "This is so fucked up."


	8. Virgin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a NSFW chapter. Please read with caution. Thank you.

Adrien shut his door and threw his keys across the room. He was so angry that Nino was pushing him to talk about Marinette. He felt like crying. He was starting to fall in love with her, and he didn't want Nino to ruin that. To ruin the only other person in his life who loved him. He didn't know if she loved him, but he was actually really happy with her. He hadn't felt this happy with another person since before his mother passed away. He fell to the floor and laid on the carpet for a good few minutes before he decided to go see Marinette, this time without the blindfold. He wanted to talk to her, and clear up things that he just couldn't say at the meeting. He took the usual route, climbing out his window and knocking on hers. No answer.

"Marinette, its me." Still no answer. "Maybe she's in her room."

He walked back into his apartment, walking out to the hallway and knocking on her front door. A few minutes rolled by, but no answer. So, he picked up his phone and called her.

"Hello?"

"Marinette, can I come in? I've been knocking."

"Sorry, hold on. I'll open the door." They ended the call and a short time later, Marinette opened the door. She wasn't wearing the clothes that she had on earlier. She was already in her pajamas. Her hair seemed as if she'd slept for a hundred years and didn't fix it. Her arms had the ladybug plush in them. "Come in."

Adrien walked in, Marinette gesturing to sit in the chair by her desk where she sat. They sat in silence again. The blonde had no clue how to start the conversation.

"I'm sorry about the meeting." They said in unison. Marinette chuckled, Adrien followed, their laughter echoing in the living space.

"It was super awkward."

"Yeah, definitely."

"Did my hand touching help you calm down a little?"

"It did, thank you. It was so quiet there."

"Yeah, my manager saw that and started asking questions." Adrien rubbed the nape of his neck nervously. "Don't worry, he doesn't know anything." She sighed, relieved.

"What did he say?"

"He just asked me why I was being so close with you. He noticed that and I'm actually kind of scared." Adrien took her hand, his green eyes gleamed in the sunset light from outside. Her blue eyes glimmered back at his. "I don't want to lose what we have."

"Are we really together?" Marinette asked. Her heart was confused. She did think about how this would change his career. And she didn't want to lose whatever they had either.

"Yes, My Lady. Of course we are." Marinette leaned in to kiss Adrien, his lips still as soft as the first day they tripped over each other and still as warm as she remembered a week ago. Her heart pounded in her rib cage. Adrien placed his hand over her cheek, not wanting her to break away from this kiss. He didn't get to kiss her often, and he enjoyed every little second they shared. There was nothing keeping them from each other that night. No texts, no phone calls, not even a knock at the door could break their precious moment.

"I loved your kiss last week." Adrien said, inbetween kisses. Marinette felt her face flush. She could feel herself getting warm as Adrien climbed towards her, his hands resting on her desk chairs arms. Her mind was growing dizzy, drunk off of this kiss they were clearly englufing in. Adrien pulled away, not really wanting this to end, but not wanting to be in silence. Marinette smiled at him, embarrassed.

"I'll play some music, if its too weird like this..." Marinettes eyes were filled with emotion, Adrien nodding in agreement. The black haired woman pulled up Pandora on her computer, letting whatever song that played first to begin.

SONG PLAYING AT THIS MOMENT: [All I Want (LIVE) - Kodaline](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cOCmC_m23E)

Marinette grabbed ahold of Adriens hand, pulling him to her bedroom. He followed, his heart racing in his chest. She sat him down, beginning to strip her clothes slowly. His wandering eyes watching her pull her pants down, her very cute black polka dotted red panties fitting tightly on her bottom. She unbuttoned her shirt slowly, his dick jumping a little in his jeans. Marinette had a matching bra, her breasts weren't very big, but they were certainly sitting nicely in her push up bra. Adrien could feel himself drooling at the site of her. He wanted to eat her up, take those breasts into his mouth right at that moment. Marinette straddled on top of him, planting soft kisses on his nose, then his cheeks, then his lips. Adrien lifted his hands up to her waist, her warm back tensing up at his cold hands. His finger fumbled at the clasp of her bra, but he was able to undo them, releasing her breasts. Marinette began to pull off Adriens clothes, his shirt was the easiest part. Pushing him onto his back, she unzipped his pants and pulled them off awkwardly. They giggled as she stumbled, pulling his pants off of his feet. She crawled up onto the bed, both in just their underwear now. Marinette was pushed down onto her bed, this time Adrien was hovering over her, his blonde locks shading his face from the lamp on her nightstand. Adrien lowered himself down to her chest, nibbling at her pink nipples, a squeak escaping Marinettes lips. She covered her mouth, embarrassed at the sound she had just made.

Adrien removed her hand from her face. "Don't be shy, My Lady."

Marinettes hands found their way to Adriens hair, his lips back on her nipples again. Each time he nipped a little at her areolas, she pulled at his hair a little. One of his hands traced her side, sliding over her her upper thigh, and lightly ran his fingers over her panties. Her hips shuddered. She had been wanting this, but she was a little nervous. Adrien pulled off her panties, throwing them behind him. She covered her eyes, not sure if she wanted to watch him go down any further. His lips showered her chest with kisses, trailing down to her stomach, kissing her pelvis and hearing her gasp as she could feel his hot breath inching lower. A hot burn pooled in her lower abdomen. Without thinking, she spread herself open, as if inviting him in, and his mouth began to suckle at her clitoris. A loud gasp escaped her, she was experiencing something that she had never felt before. His tongue often lapped over her opening, feeling herself getting wetter a little more each time he'd switch from sucking to licking. She felt his tongue inch into her bit by bit. A moan was drug out as he sucked a little at her pink bead, his fingers entering her. He felt how warm and wet she was, and how much he wanted more of her. Adrien felt his hard cock against his underwear, and he was growing restless.

Marinette felt him stop and she uncovered her eyes to see Adrien pull off his underwear to release his dick before climbing back into bed with her. She pulled him down onto her bed this time, straddling him properly, feeling his cock in her hands. It was hot, but soft. She heard a gasp from Adrien as she took ahold of it, and she smirked. A small bead dribbled out of the tip and she bent down to lick it. Adrien groaned, he'd never thought she'd do that. She liked what sounds he was making, so she continued to lick the tip, lowering to the shaft and suckling at the tip before Adrien pulled her away.

"If you keep doing that, I'm not going to make it to the end of the night, princess." Marinette felt embarrassed. Did he just call her princess?

Nodding, she made her way back up to his face, kissing him again. Their tongues wriggled around each others mouth before Marinette sat up and pulled a condom out of her bedside drawer. She had to be prepared if this were to occur, and Alya always supplied her with protection. After getting the condom on Adriens dick, she lowered herself onto him.

Adrien looked up at her, black hair down her face and her eyes closed as she got comfortable. His cock was wrapped in warmth, she felt silky and hot. As Marinette buckled forward, Adrien moaned. She tightened around him, and she moaned as well. The blonde took hold of her face and pulled her into a heated kiss, his tongue slipping into her mouth and causing some kind of reaction for her to tighten again. His vision blurred as she started riding him slowly, it felt too good for him to speak. Marinette pulled her hair into a small pony tail. With her neck exposed, he sat up to lick and bite at her skin. Marinette continued to grind herself on him, his hot cock pulsing inside of her. She felt him hit her sweet spot and she moaned loudly. Adrien smirked and bucked upwards into her, hearing her moan again.

SONG PLAYING AT THE MOMENT: [Slow It Down - The Lumineers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fY5WpHrONU)

Marinette looked down at Adrien, he seemed happy where he was, she felt him drive into her and she wanted to bite him. And she did. Her mouth on his shoulder, she bit hard, which caused Adrien to groan and pull her down onto him, his hips drilling into hers.

Adrien decided to do a little damage as well and claw into her back as he simultaneously pounded his hard, hot cock into her wet pussy. She tightened as he did this, and he felt his orgasm getting closer.

He didn't want this to end, neither did she. They returned their mouths to each other, locking lips and tongue, saliva dripping down their chins.

"I'm really close..." Marinette moaned. Adrien pressed into her harder.

"Me too." Adrien replied. Her moans drew him in more, her walls tightening up around his pusling dick. Her body grew intensely hotter, she wanted him more, harder, to have all of him inside of her hitting her G-spot and as the buildup grew, so did her moans. His cock drilled hard into her, and she moaned louder.

"More!" She moaned. Adrien stopped and pushed her down on her back, starting up momentum again.

"Come on, princess." He groaned into her ear, she tightened up again. "Come for me." She couldn't hold back, her orgasm came and she felt her hips shuddered intensely against his. He climaxed as she did, riding it out took a moment. He looked down at her face, her eyes caught his heart and in that moment, he couldn't keep his dumb mouth shut.

"I love you, Marinette." He said. Her orgasmic high was too much for her, she could barely bring out a sentence to reply. Hell, she couldn't even remember her own name at that moment. Her mind couldn't process the words that had just come out of his mouth.

Adrien pulled out of her, taking the condom and throwing it into the trash by her bedroom door. She was so dizzy, she couldn't sit up. But she did need to pee, or else she'd need to change her bed sheets for an entirely different reason.

"Adrien, help." He walked over to her side of the bed, a little worried he'd hurt her somehow.

"What do you need?" He asked, concerned.

"I can't stand up, help me get to the bathroom." Without a second thought, he picked her up bridal style and hauled her to the bathroom. He sat her down on the toilet where she began to pee, and as she did that, Adrien started the shower and began to collect her clothes so she could get dressed. Marinette was a little confused as to why he was doing this, but decided not to stop him. He probably had this kind of experience all the time.

Once the shower was ready and Marinettes clothes were set aside for her, Adrien kissed her forehead and headed to his apartment, wearing his jeans, but nothing else.

"I'll be right back, I have to change too. Enjoy your shower, My Lady." Marinette had her shower as Adrien had his.

Marinette started to feel dizzy again, unsure of why she was feeling so lightheaded. Unable to keep her balance, she stumbled out of the shower. She tried to dry off, be slipped and fell straight to the floor. Her body felt hot, and her arms felt weak. She had no strength to get up.

Adrien finished his shower and headed back to Marinettes apartment, kind of worried when he didn't hear anything after he knocked. He knocked again, cracking open the door. "Marinette? Hello?"

A quiet voice echoed from the bathroom. "Adrien..." He knew something was wrong since she got out of that bed.

"Are you okay?" He closed the door and walked quickly to the bathroom, seeing a naked Marinette unable to move anything other than her arms and head.

"I don't know. I'm so weak." Adrien wrapped a towel around her and carried her back to the bedroom and laid her onto the bed.

"Did you eat today?" Marinette didn't answer. She was trying to keep the room from spinning.

"Not really," she finally said. "I was so nervous today that I was nauseous and barely finished my breakfast this morning. After that, nothing."

"Not even water?"

Marinette shook her head. Adrien ruffled his hair in frustration. "I'll be right back."

Marinette was left alone in her bed, nothing but a towel to cover herself with. A few moments later, Adrien came back with a bottle of water. There was an awkward silence as she drank her water.

"You seemed dehydrated." Adrien spoke. "If you don't drink water, that's gonna happen again."

Marinette blushed. "Do you have experience?"

Adrien cleared his throat as he took the bottle from Marinette and drank the water as well. "Yes, I do." Marinette felt a little silly.

"Today was really weird."

"It was."

Another awkward silence.

"So, you want to do this again?" Marinette asked. She felt a little stupid asking an obvious question.

"Of course I do, Marinette. Just not right now, you need to recover." Marinette covered her face in embarrassment.

"I should have known about this, it was my first time for Gods sake." She muffled into her hands.

"Wow, really?" Adrien was surprised. "You're beautiful, I would have imagined that you've had sex before." Marinette looked at him, his eyes shying away from her. He felt like he was invading her privacy somehow. Her cheeks blossomed into a brighter shade of red.

"No one's really... Dated me... Or even asked me out..." She whispered before taking swigs of her water, the bottle nearly half empty now.

"Well, that doesn't matter now." Adrien looked at her, his green eyes staring into her blue ones. "You have me."

Marinette felt this before, like she was seeing the color green for the first time in his eyes. Thats right, she felt this on their first date.

"I love you, Marinette. I mean it." Her heart beat inside of her chest, like there wasn't enough space in her ribcage for her hearts movement anymore. He'd taken her breath away, and she loved it all.

"I love you, Adrien..." Marinette watched Adriens eyes close as he inched closer, kissing her lips again. She never wanted this moment to end.


	9. Chloe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this seems rushed. I just needed to deal with Chloe. I hate her so much.

Nino laid back onto his bed, the smell of sweat and sex filled his bedroom. Alya turned to face him, grabbing ahold of his hand. "So, tell me what happened with the whole ex thing. It took me all I had to keep this a secret for Marinette."

Nino positioned himself to look at her glowing face, taking both of her hands and pressing a kiss on her fingers. "It was after he had released his first album. He was still heartbroken about his moms death and Chloe wasn't showing any sympathy with him. They had only dated for a couple of months, but they had known each other since probably grade school. I don't know the entire story but, after she threw a fit for not meeting her while he was at his moms funeral, he had enough and dumped her. She proceeded to threaten him and me with exposing him for who he was." Nino looked up at his cieling sighing.

"What happened after that? How did you guys get her off your tail?" Alya propped her head up on her hand, her elbow on the pillow.

"We bribed her into secrecy." Alya nodded.

"Thats a classic move, there buddy." A text was sent to Alya's phone. "Speak of the devil."

"Is it Chloe?"

"Yeah." Alya snatched her phone from the floor and looked through her messages.

Chloe: Report.  
Alya: Working on the details. Come by and I'll give you the scoop.  
Chloe: Same time?  
Alya: Yes

"Let me go with you."

"Are you joking?" Alya started to get out of bed and put on her clothes.

"What? I can't have her exposing him. He's been through enough crap in his life. He deserves this."

"She's offering a lot of money, its how I can afford my apartment." Alya continued, in a whispering voice. "And my website."

"Alya, are you serious?" Nino grabbed her arm as he stood up to pull on his pants.

"Yeah, I am. All the upgrades, that contest, everything was paid for with her fathers money."

"Alya, thats not her fathers money." Nino pulled on his shirt.

"Wait, what do you mean? Who's money is it?" Alya fluffed her hair in the mirror before looking back at Nino who was standing behind her.

"That's our money."

"Wait, so what happened to her father?" Alya pressed her fingertips to her forehead before making a hand gesture towards the door.

"Alya, her dads been dead for a year."

"So, wait a second. I'm so lost right now. Are you saying that her dad has been dead this whole time and the guy in office right now isn't her dad at all?"

"Yeah, thats literally what I'm saying now."

"Shit, what the fuck am I doing? What do we do now?"

"I have a plan. But it's gonna take a while. How much time do you have left before you meet her?"

"About three hours. All my info is at my place, so lets go there and talk."

* * *

 

Chloe smirked, fixing her hair in her mirror. She knew she'd get more money if she tried to get the attention of Adrien.

ONE YEAR AGO...

After he dumped her, she couldn't let it go, and when her father died, she got all of his money, but was kicked out of her luxurious home. Forced to deal with being a normal person and limited funds, she sought out other means of income. From cam sex to prostitution, she worked and worked to keep her luxurious lifestyle. But when her money ran out and the Johns stopped coming, she sold all of her expensive materialistic items and decided to ruin Adriens life. She knew who he was, and to get what she wanted, she went to Ninos office, threatening to spread the truth to the magazines. Nino gave her whatever amount of money she asked for and forced her to sign a legal contract that she didn't read.

And that would be her downfall.

BACK TO NOW...

Alya sat in her home office, typing out a new article, anxiously waiting for Chloe to show up. Nino waited with her, his foot tapping against her grey carpet.

A knock at the door stopped them. Alya stood up and walked over to the door, pulling it open and welcoming Chloe inside. She took a seat on Alya's couch, setting her purse on the coffee table and welcoming herself to the bottle of water sitting unopened on the table.

"Wait here, I'll be back." Alya commanded.

"Yeah yeah, whatever. Don't keep me waiting."

Alya walked back to her office and gestured for Nino to go into the living room.

Chloe was checking her phone, unaware that Nino was standing in front of her until she looked up expecting Alya.

"What the fuck is he doing here?"

"I'm here to tell you to go away." Nino stated.

"Alya, this why is this guy here?"

"Don't fuck around, I already know that you're trying to ruin Adrien's life."

"How dare you! I assure you I just want to get back together with him."

"No you don't, you frigid bitch. I also know that your so called 'daddy's money' is actually the bribe money you got for trying to ruin Adrien's life in the first place."

"Wait-"

Nino raised his hand to both women. He had enough of the bickering. "We don't have any money to give you. I've given you more than enough to last you, but I guess you couldn't get enough of your expensive taste your father could supply you with. Please go away or I will press charges for invading Adriens privacy and force you to pay us." Chloe grew angry, red with rage. "With your small brain, you didn't read the contract you signed, you will regret coming here, and demanding information you don't need."

"You're going to pay for this. I'll show you!" The blonde woman grabbed her bag and stormed out the door.

* * *

_(Marinette and Adrien have copies of each others apartments keys by this time)_

Marinette was in love. She was so in love with this guy, that she started becoming comfortable with staying in Adriens apartment every so often. Adrien began to collect some plants to liven up his apartment, eventually getting some for Marinette since her living room looked like an office, which kind of bothered him.

"This is an apartment, don't you feel like this is too much like a work space?"

"No, I actually like the way my place looks. Whats got you so bothered?"

Adrien kissed her, his hands slithered around her waist. "I like having all my favorite spaces feel like home." Marinette blushed. He feels at home here.

"Alright, I accept the plants. But I'm going to water them." Marinette scoffed.

"Good, because I don't have a green thumb."

"Well, since you're gonna make my apartment comfortable for you, I'm doing the same for yours."

"Whats the reason for that?"

"Because you make me feel at home, too." Adrien blushed, his words being thrown back at him in a cute and loving way. Another kiss was shared.

Days went by, and Adrien hadn't noticed his stalker was watching him. Each day he spent with Marinette was heavily recorded with photos and videos. Even a quick trip to the grocery store with Marinette, Adrien was watched. Eventually, Chloe had enough evidence and information to ruin their relationship.

She had a flawless plan to break them up and get what she thought she deserved, money and fame.

She started with the videos and photos taken by herself. She knew that he lived in the same building as Alya, and when she saw Adriens new girlfriend, she began to stalk her as well. She seduced the person at the front desk to get the apartment numbers of Marinette and Adrien. After sneaking into Marinettes apartment while she wasn't home, she saw all the hard work Marinette put into her outfits. Each labeled with a name, Chloe took many photos of her work and rummaged through drawers and trash. Finding some cash hidden away, she placed it in her pocket before going to Adriens apartment, which was conveniently next door.

"Now this is what I'm talking about." Chloe said to herself. She went through Adriens computer to find his new tracks and began to take photos and even a video of her listening to the new album, which was still unfinished. She set up the camera and began to speak.

"Hello, my name is Chloe Bourgeois. I'm making this video to tell everyone that I know who Chat Noir is because I'm engaged to him. Contact me if you'd like to know who he is." Adriens new album played in the background as she spoke. She turned the camera off and left the apartment, all the photos and video taken hidden away in her camera. She left the building before anyone could see that she had broken into the apartments.

About a week later, Adrien was hard at work finishing up the last track of his new album, when he heard a knock at his door. Sighing, he walked over to his door and opened it to find a blond woman welcoming herself into his apartment.

"What the fuck are you doing, how did you find me?" Adrien questioned. He tried to push her through his front door to make her leave.

"I have my ways of finding you, Adrien." She pushed him away and closed the door behind her, locking it. "I know you're terribly busy with that new album of yours, but I have an announcement, put on the news and I'll show you."

Marinette turned on the news to check the weather when a news bulletin popped up.

"We interrupt your local program to bring you exciting news. Chat Noir is engaged and we have and inside scoop of who he is, tune in tonight at ten."

"No, it can't be..."

"How could you do this to me? Why won't you just leave me alone?!" Adrien pushed Chloe onto the floor and straddled her. He was so angry, he pulled her up by her collar to punch her, but Marinette opened the door to see Chloe on the floor and Adrien over her.

"What is this?" Chloe smirked as Marinette questioned the situation.

"This is what I deserve." She replied before pulling Adriens face to hers, kissing her right in front of Marinette. Tears in her eyes, she ran back to her apartment and locked the door. Her heart broken, she laid in her bed and sobbed.

Adrien pushed her away, slapping her in the face and cursing, "Get the fuck out of my life. I'm going to sue you for breaking your contract and you will pay back damages." Adrien stood up and pointed at his front door.

"Face it, Adrien. I'm the only one you have." Chloe blew a kiss to Adrien before strutting out the door.

"Fuck you, bitch." Adrien spouted, slamming the door as she left his apartment.


	10. Drama

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> THE TENSION IS SO THICK YOU COULD CUT IT LIKE BUTTER

Ninos phone rang. He swallowed hard as he read the name on his screen. "He's calling."

He contimplated whether or not to pick up and talk to him. Alya looked at her phone, unsure if she should talk to Marinette. They were all in a bad place.

"I don't know what to do." Alya answered. She looked at Nino, standing at his window, phone in his hand, his thumb hovering over the red icon to ignore his call.

"We're all adults. Maybe we need to talk to them together." Alya felt a small sting in her heart. Breaking the news to Marinette? That may end their friendship. She didn't want to risk it.

"We've been working so hard to keep this together." Nino walked over to Alya and took hold of her hands.

"Has Marinette ever been lied to and it gone badly? We need to consider every possible option." Alya thought for a moment before answering.

"I haven't lied to her, nor seen anyone else lie to her. Even her parents never lie. She's never even dated anyone before Adrien, so this is pretty new territory for both of us." Alya sat down on the bed, her head in her hands, elbows on her knees. The more time that passed by, the less anything was getting solved. They needed to do something quickly. "I just hope that we can figure this out."

Nino pressed his lips on her forehead, kissing the beauty mark above her right eyebrow. "We will, sweetheart."

"It's like raising a couple of damn children." Nino laughed at her remark.

"But we love them anyway."

"We do." Nino looked at his phone to see a notification atop the screen.

"Adrien left a voicemail." Alya stood up and looked at Ninos hand, his phone still in it.

"Put it on speaker."

With a single motion, they both stood in Ninos bedroom, voicemail playing.

"Nino, you better pick up! You know what, nevermind. I'm on my way over to your place so you better be home!" The call ended.

"I better call Marinette."

* * *

 

Marinette laid in her bed, angry. Of course she was angry. She was confused, upset, but angry more than anything. This random girl all of a sudden kissing her boyfriend, laying on him with clothes that barely covered her body. Her phone began to ring, and in an angry fit, she picked up without reading the screen.

"What?!" She shouted.

"Marinette?" Crap, it was Alya.

"Sorry, I'm just not in the mood to talk right now. Why are you calling?"

"Hun, I need you to come to the address I've texted you. I can tell you're upset, so come over to where I am, I'll have a nice cup of cocoa and some fresh cookies from that cafe you like."

"Alright, fine." She sniffled, trying to wipe her face a little. The tears flowed like a spring and she hadn't noticed that she was ruining her makeup, but she didn't care. She was going to get something warm and yummy and her friend was going to take care of her and she'll be okay. "I'll be there soon, and you better have my favorite kind of cookies." She demanded.

"Okay, girl. Now, wipe those tears. See you soon." And then, Marinette hung up. Taking deep breaths, she climbed out of her bed, fixing her clothes that she had disheveled from thrashing around on her sheets in tears just minutes ago. She looked at her black hair, a mess but could be fixed by pushing it into a bun. Her makeup was smeared, and with a small makeup wipe, her hands scrubbed the eyeliner and mascara off her cheeks and around her eyes. She was not going to put makeup on to see her best friend, it wouldn't help if she was going to cry again. On her way to her door, she stared at the ladybug plushed she had named Tikki all those weeks ago. It was toppled over on its side, sitting with her dirty clothes on the floor by her bedroom window. She huffed an angry breath, slipping out of her bedroom and grabbed her keys. Her mind went onto autopilot as she slipped her headphones in her ears and followed the directions to the address Alya had sent her. Without paying attention, she began to play a song from an album she had just bought.

SONG PLAYING AT THE MOMENT: [Turning Page (Instrumental) - Sleeping At Last](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMLiBVMvTh8)

As Marinette followed the route, her eyes started forming tears again. Thats right, this song was on that album, his album. The very same album he made for his mother. Her heart skipped as she looked up at the cloudy sky. It looked like was going to rain, but she was nearly halfway to her destination so she didn't feel like walking back to grab her umbrella. Besides, she was still too angry to think about the weather now. Alya had her favorite sweets and her warm hugs and she was going to think about anything else except that. But the song that played in her ears forced her to think about him. About Adrien.

* * *

"Alright, he's here. Stay in here, come into the living room once Marinette gets here." Alya nodded as Nino walked into the living room to answer the angry knocks at his front door.

"Yo, what the hell? What happened?"

"Its Chloe, dude." Adrien threw his coat on the couch, his temper growing wild.

"What about her?"

"She fucking ruined everything." Nino still didn't understand.

"You need to calm down and explain everything." Nino grabbed ahold of Adrien's shoulder, forcing him to sit down on the couch with him.

"Okay. So, I'm finishing up a track, the album is almost done by the way, and this bitch knocks on my door. She fucking turns on the news and theres gonna be a scoop of her telling everyone who I am and I push her down on the floor to hit her, but then Marinette opens my door and she sees us on the floor and then Chloe fucking KISSES ME. IN FRONT OF MARINETTE." Alya covered her mouth, listening to the story. She can't believe this happened her best friend. Shocked, she stands still in the bedroom, not making a single noise.

"Shit." A knock is heard at the door.

"Who is it?" Just as Nino opened the door and Alya walked into the living room, Marinette stepped inside and started speaking.

"Alya, where is my-" The dark haired woman stood in the living room, her eyes locked on Adrien and Alya sprinted over to hug her.

"It's okay, I called you here to talk."

"Marinette, I-" Nino raised his hand.

"No one say anything right now. Alya and I have to tell you both something. You both will not be angry when we tell you this."

"Well, we are on a limited schedule. I'm gonna be outed by the entire damn city or worse in a few hours."

Nino rubbed his temples. "I know. So, both of you shut up and sit on the damn couch."

Marinette sat down and nervously awaited the supposed argument to come.

"We know you both have been keeping secrets from us both. Alya has been snooping into your life getting information from someone you both have had an experience with today. Her name is Chloe Burgieous and she has been spending our bribe money to pay Alya for her 'investigating'."

"And I'm really sorry, you two. I had no idea Adrien was Chat Noir. Seriously."

Nino continued. "So, Chloe has been trying to ruin Adrien's life for dumping her stupid ass and since she signed a legal document, this little issue tonight isn't even supposed to happen. Now, if she happens to say anything at all, she's going to have to pay all of us involved thousands of dollars, if not millions." Marinette understood, and she was no longer angry.

"What do we do now?" Marinette spoke. Adrien sighed.

"We gotta do something before she starts talking, or the very least, before she gets to the news station." Nino pulled out his phone from his pocket.

"I'm gonna call the news station and see what I can do. If worse comes to worst, I'll call the police and we can have her arrested. We have to do that anyway, she clearly violated a legal document and broke our contract." Nino walked away, phone to his ear.

As Nino yelled in the other room on the phone, Alya sat next to Marinette and placed her hand on her knee. "You okay, girl?" Marinette looked up at her best friend.

"I will be. I'm just in shock right now. Where are my cookies?" Alya chuckled. "You said there would be cookies, where are they?"

"I'm sorry I don't have them right now, we can pick them up once this is all done. We'll have a girls night and we can watch dumb Netflix movies and be kids for the night." Adrien shifted towards the end of the couch, unsure of what to do with his quiet time. Alya noticed him fidgeting in his seat.

"Maybe you two need to talk, I'll go calm down the bull in the other room." Alya walked away, leaving Marinette and Adrien alone.

"Look, I'm sorry you had to see that bitch do what she did. I promise you, I didn't do any of this."

"I'm sorry I ran off like a child. I was so scared, and felt like I had been lied to. I should have stayed and listened to what you had to say."

Adrien turned to Marinette who wasn't look at him. Her blue eyes looked sad, like her mood changed the bright sky blue to a cloudy blue like the sky outside at that moment.

"Are we going to be okay, Mari?" She didn't answer him at first. She was still trying to wrap her head around the crazy ex, Chloe.

Adrien placed his hand on her shoulder. "Mari?"

"Its going to take time to get through this bump in the road. But we'll be okay eventually." And then, Adrien smiled at her. She didn't think she'd missed his smile but there it was, shining at her as the rain began to trickle down the windows outside. Adrien saw her eyes change back to the bright and beautiful sky blue he missed all this time. He had never wanted to see her eyes shine like that more than this very moment. And they stared into each others eyes, the calm sound of the rain outside soothing their hearts as they inched closer together.

Alya stepped into the other room, Nino hanging up the call quickly. "So whats going on?"

Nino sighed, frustrated. "They aren't gonna stop the interview. We're gonna have to call the cops and head our asses to the news station." Alya nodded and they walked together to the living room. Alya stopped Nino from speaking, seeing Marinette and Adrien looking at one another.

The thunder outside caused Marinette to jump and Adrien to push himself into her face, their lips locking. They pulled away, Marinette started laughing. Adrien laughed with her.

"Well, if you two are done, we really gotta get going. We're on the clock now." Marinette and Adrien blush as they stood up and followed Alya out of the apartment, Nino locking the door from behind them. They headed down into the parking lot underneath the apartment building where Nino actually had a car downstairs waiting for them. Alya and Nino got in first, their seats in the middle of the vehicle, while Adrien and Marinette rode in the back of the vehicle. The radio played as they made their way to the news station.

SONG PLAYING AT THE MOMENT: [Dream - Priscilla Ahn](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z2vEwF0f2s)

The entire trip to the station was in silence, Adrien actually was nervous to hold Marinette's hand during the whole ride there. But he eventually locked his pinkie finger with hers and by the end of the trip, they were holding hands completely. Nino had already called the police and they showed up the same time they did.

"Alright, so the girl inside Chloe, she broke our contract and has been stalking which goes against her restraining order." Nino explained to the policeman standing with them outside. Marinette did not want to leave the car for fear of getting soaked. Her phone would be ruined and her clothes may not stay together if they got wet.

"I'll just stay in here, guys. I can't get wet." Alya pulled a short umbrella from her purse.

"I knew you'd forget one. You gotta pay more attention to the weather." Alya threw Marinette a black umbrella, shortened to fit any bag. Opening it, Marinette and Adrien hid underneath it and ran to the building to get inside.

* * *

"Hello, and welcome to the ten o'clock news, tonight we have a scoop from the late mayors daughter, Chloe Burgieous. Welcome Chloe."

"Thank you, ma'am."

"So, I hear you've got some juicy information for us tonight. Lets start off with some questions."

"Okay."

"First one, why did you decided to come out now?"

"Because I just got engaged and I decided to."

"But isn't it part of Chat Noir's contract to keep their identity a secret?"

"Not anymore, I agreed to come on here, now do you wanna know or not?"

"Of course we do. We recieved a call today from the manager by the name of Nino and he told our producers that the contract is still valid, so you stating the identity is illegal. Are you prepared for any concequences?"

"Bring it on."

"Now tell us, who is Chat Noir?"

The doors to the stage they set up at were kicked down. The police rushed in, handcuffing Chloe.

"Chloe Burgieous, you are under arrest." As the cop holding her hands and slapping the cuffs on her tells her the Miranda rights, Adrien stood by Marinette.

"You deserve everything that's coming to you. Have fun in prison." Alya spouted.

Nino grabbed Alya's arm. "Now that thats all done, we can relax a little and take a breath."

The day passed and turned into night. Paperwork was filled out, screams were heard from the cop car as Chloe was driven to the police station. The night ended with everyone heading to their homes. Alya decided to go home with Marinette since she promised a girls night. Adrien couldn't work in his emotional state so he decided to crash at Ninos for the night.

The night ended with laughter, mouths full of junk food, and even though they had a stressful day, no one thought about anything else that night.

* * *

Weeks later, Adrien and Marinette listened to a completely finished track on his new album.

"You are amazing, Adrien." Marinette took a sip of her juice that was in her glass. He smiled.

"I'm glad you like it. I can't wait for you hear the rest of the album. Its not done yet, but I'm hoping to get it done by the fall." A knock at his door startled him.

"Seems you have a visitor."

"No one should be up here right now, unless I got a package or something." Adrien opened his door to see no one and nothing except a small box at his feet.

"What is that?"

Adrien examined the box. "No address. It just says "listen" on it. I wonder who sent this." Adrien pulled the item out of the box, a single flash drive was all that was in the box.

"Really?" Marinette questioned. Adrien just shrugged.

"I guess we should see whats on it." Adrien pushed it into his laptop which he had in the living room to play his new track for Marinette just a moment ago.

"Thats odd, it just has one file on here. For Adrien. Its a video." Marinette pointed out.

"Thanks, my lady. I didn't think I had eyes or something." Adrien sassed.

Double clicking on the file, the video opened up and Adrien gasped.

"Who is that?"

"That's my dad."


	11. Father

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel made a video for his son.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am a terrible person. I wrote a suicide chapter, very short but still. DEATH.

He took a deep breath, an empty bottle of fifty year old aged scotch sat at his desk. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to make it through this time, having recorded the video a few times at this point. He had to start over each time he cried, and it bothered him that he couldn't get it right. He pressed the button on the camera to record for probably the final time. He prayed he'd gotten it right this time. He ran out of alcohol to soothe himself through this. Once he knew it was recording, he grabbed the acoustic guitar at his side, tuning it before he performed a song.

SONG PLAYING AT THIS MOMENT: [Let Her Go (cover by Peter) - Passenger](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oySI5l3OMJY)

Once he finished, he placed the guitar down where he picked it up. Clearing his throat, he spoke. "Adrien, if you got this video, it means that I'm already gone. I don't have a lot of time left as I record this. I've been thinking about what to say to you since you left. When your mom died, I didn't know how to handle it." He began getting teary eyed, wiping his face. "I nearly drunk myself to death when you ran away. Your mom probably talked to you a ton of times before she died, and before I go, I gotta clear up my thoughts and feelings. I must have recorded this like two or three times already."

Gabriel felt the tears come up again, but he continued to speak anyway. He didn't even care at this point if his son saw him cry.

"I'm sorry, my son. I spent many years treating you the way my father treated me, and when your mom died, I took out my grief on you. I was a terrible father. You may never forgive me, I didn't forgive my father either. But I'd like to go down with no regrets. I love your music, you were always a very creative young man. I am so proud of you, Adrien. You grew up into a wonderful young man. You got yourself a lovely young woman, too. You should sing, your mom always loved your voice. I miss it too, but I know I won't be able to hear it, and thats probably because of me." Gabriel stopped talking, his face grew sadder by the second as his tears flooded down his face. "Goodbye, my son. I love you."

He turned off the camera and dragged the file from the camera to the USB drive. Renaming the video file, he unplugged the drive from the port and slipped it into a box.

"Nathalie, come in here please." The brown haired woman entered the room, greeting him.

"Yes?"

"How is he today?" Nathalie pulled up her tablet, scrolling through emails.

"Hes doing fine. Sir, you're crying. Are you alright?" Nathalie pulled out a tissue from her pocket, wiping his face.

"Yes, I'm fine." But he wasn't, so far from being fine. He just recorded himself saying his last goodbyes. He felt ashamed of himself for doing it.

"Okay, well if theres nothing else, I'd like to go finish up something."

"Wait."

Nathalie looked down at the depressed man sitting in his chair. He handed her a USB port. "See to it that this gets to Adrien." Nathalie said nothing else, took the drive and got into her car.

Gabriel opened up his email and began to write.

"Thank you. -G.A."

He sent the rest of his money in his bank account to someone he respected to keep his identity a secret.

Gabriel looked into his desk drawer, the handgun with one bullet in the chamber taunted him. He was too drunk to ignore it, and not drunk enough to stop himself. Consumed by alcoholic abuse from his past and the pain he gave his son adding to his grief of losing his wife years ago, he placed the barrel of the gun to his head, tears falling down his face in a frenzy, he pulled the trigger.

* * *

With silence hanging heavy in the air, Adrien turned to Marinette and laid his head on her shoulder, her arms wrapping around his shoulders and rubbing his back softly in circles as he sobbed. He hadn't cried this hard since his mother died. His father gave him a gift, something he'd never heard and will never hear again.

"I love you." It repeated in his mind for a few moments, unsure if he could handle this realization.

His father was gone. And it broke his heart. Marinette didn't know what to do other than sit there, letting him sob into her shoulder.

It took a few days for Adrien to get himself back to normal, somewhat. He met with Nino and told him what had happened. Alya heard about it later on that night when Marinette came over for a girls night.

What broke Adrien the most all of this though, was that there was no funeral. After a week had passed, Nathalie showed up at his doorstep with an urn.

"Adrien, we never spoke before, but I was your fathers assistant. He wrote in his will that he be cremated and given to his next of kin. Which was you of course." Nathalie wasn't sure how to speak to him, having never met before this moment. Adrien was really lost at what was going on in his fathers life, but this surprise was something he wasn't scared about.

"Thank you, miss?"

"Nathalie. I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you."

Nathalie left as quickly as she came. He never heard from her again, and Marinette heard about the encounter later on that night when they had dinner.

"I know its not easy, Adrien. I just wished I could do something for you."

Adrien looked up at Marinette, her hair was down again. His eyes fell into a daze, mesmerized by her beauty. "Being my support is all I need from you, My Lady."

That nickname again. At least he was feeling better. Of course, the grief wasn't going to pass quickly, but through time he was sure that he was going to be okay and Marinette knew he would be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I'm a terrible human being. Go on, tell me about your feels.


	12. Autumn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You all deserve a nice calm chapter.

Summer passed by quickly, which Adrien was grateful for. He spent the entire season finishing the album he made for Marinette. He was just missing one more track. Marinette spent the summer with Alya, having money to spend with her best friend. Marinette sold her line to large fashion stores, which wouldn't be in stores for another week or so. She mostly went to the beach and saw movies with her. There were so many things she'd wanted to do that she was too busy to do during the spring.

"Let's go meet my parents." Marinette suggested, Adrien playing with the chicken salad on his place. He nearly flung a slice of chicken across the room.

"Why are you just saying this now?" Adrien asked, a little surprised.

"Well, its fall now, and I'd like for you to meet them. They've been calling me, asking me about you and its frankly getting on my nerves. I love my parents, but they can be a bit nosy."

 _She talks about me with her parents._ He thought to himself. Marinette was a little nervous about the idea.

"I think its a great idea. I'm almost done with my album, maybe a little vacation will help the writers block."

They set a date to travel to see Marinettes parents, Tom and Sabine. They were bakers, owned their own shop, and were very good at what they do.

Weeks passed, it was time. Marinette packed her bag for just a weekend trip. Adrien didn't know what to pack so he pretty much had one of his suitcases packed for a week. Alya and Nino waved goodbye to them as they entered the gate to their flight.

"Mom!" Marinette shouted. She ran quickly, giving her mother a big hug.

"Its good to see you, sweetie. Is that him?" Sabine pointed to Adrien, his cheeks a bit warm from feeling nervous.

"Hello, Ms. Dupain-Cheng. Its nice to meet you."

"Oh please, call me mom." Adrien chuckled nervously.

"M-mom."

Tom opened his hand, Adrien grabbing it, shaking hands with him. "Hello, sir. Its nice to meet you."

"No need to be formal, son. Marinette talks a lot about you, I hear you make music." Adrien nodded, letting go of Tom's hand.

"Yes, and its pretty popular." Marinette butted him.

"Lets get you both back to the house, its getting chilly."

"Did you make Uncles soup? I'm super hungry."

Sabine repled, a smile across her face. "Yes I did! I know its your favorite of the familys dishes."

After they arrived at the house, Marinette gave Adrien a tour of her family home and Adrien set their bags in Marinettes old room.

That night, they spent dinner talking about their lives and how hectic it was in the spring.

"I'm sorry about your father, Marinette told us about him passing, but I had no idea it was that bad."

Adrien smiled a little, Marinette's hand holding onto his as Sabine grabbed their empty bowls and took them into the kitchen.

"I'll help you mom." Marinette stood up, following her mother into the kitchen.

"You must really love him." Sabine whispered, turning on the faucet and placing the bowls and spoons into the sink.

"Yes, I do."

Marinette began washing the dishes as Sabine cleaned up the counters and was putting away the soup.

Then, Marinette began to hum.

"Is that what I think it is?"

"Hmm, what?" Marinette turned around to see her mother walk over to her to dry off the clean dishes.

"That song, you still remember it?"

Marinette chuckled. "Of course I do. You used to sing it to me all the time when I was kid."

"I did."

"But I never understood why the name Jeremy was in it."

"That's because a long time ago, your great grandfather sang it to your great grandmother when he was proposing to her."

Marinette blushed, smiling. "Thats so romantic."

Sabine placed the dry dishes into the cupboard and the spoons in the silverware drawer. "I know. Do you want to sing it?"

Marinette smiled wider. "Of course."

At this moment, Adrien peaked into the kitchen door, hearing the two women singing.

SONG BEING SUNG AT THIS MOMENT: [Very Good Words Jinglin cover - Lee Hong Ki](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0sM7GROlVw)

Adrien didn't understand the song, it was in Korean. But she sang it with her whole heart and it felt somewhat special for her to sing it with her mother. Then, Tom pushed him into the kitchen, Adrien falling flat on his face.

"Ouch."

"Sorry, I just couldn't help it."

"What was that song?" Adrien asked.

"Its a love song. Its so romantic. My great grandfather sang it to my great grandmother when he asked her to marry him."

Adrien blushed. Thats romantic as hell.

"Its really nice."

* * *

During the the small weekend trip, Adrien took small notes as he went with Marinette on walks around her hometown, admiring the quiet scenery and the places she used to go when she was a child. Marinette showed her the spot where she fell out of a tree when she tried to save a little kitten. She took him to an old spot in town where she stopped some kids from picking on a smaller kid, and the playground where she met her best friend.

"Alya?"

Marinette nodded. "Yeah, there was a boy was super creepy when we were in middle school. It got really bad to the point where I couldn't even go to the store with my mom without seeing him. Then, I was sitting on this swing," Marinette pointed to the second seat on the swing set. "Alya noticed that this boy was harrassing me, telling me things I did not want to hear at that age. Then, she came running, pushing him down. It was a good thing too, he was going to flash me and Alya pushed him down, breaking his dick. He had to go to the hospital." Marinette chuckled.

"Wow, what a weirdo."

"Yeah, but I learned later on in life that he was just trying to cover up his sexuality."

Adrien sat on the swing set, Marinette sitting beside him on the other seat. "Thats pretty weird."

"Yeah, now he's married. He sends me messages sometimes. He told me that if Alya hadn't pushed him down and broke his dick, he wouldn't have met his husband."

"Wait, they met in the hospital?" Adrien laughed.

"I know! He told me that the day he went to the emergency room, there was another kid on the other side of the curtain who..." Marinette cleared her throat trying not to laugh too loud. Adrien watched her hair, which was down, flow in the breeze. He loved that she let it grow out. "Anyway, he was in there because he shoved a remote up his butt."

"What?"

Marinette laughed. "I know, apparently he was angry that his mom wouldn't let him watch television and so he decided that he'd shove it up there so she couldn't get it."

"Sounds like a bad time." Adrien winced.

"They eventually started to talk about why they were there, and it just went from there."

Marinette began to swing and Adrien couldn't be happier to be with her at that moment. Granted, it was in a spot where one of the funniest moments of her life happened, but he was so glad to be with her, watching her swing higher and higher into the sky. The sun was setting and the golden rays of light across the sky added a strange hue of orange that made her face brighten up.

Adrien spent their last day packing up their things and finishing up his notes. He figured out the last song for his album, and he wanted to surprise her with it.

Marinette and Adrien said goodbye to Marinettes parents and went home, exhausted but refreshed from the fresh air they got while visiting them.

And Adrien couldn't wait to make this song the best one on his album. Marinette of course didn't have anything to do, so she spent time planning for her clothes to go internationally. The outfits for men were such a success that they asked her to make more and be a regular fashion designer for top brand stores. Ecstatic, she accepted and couldn't wait to make more clothes. She was really happy to start another line, but her creativity was blocked again.

Adrien sighed. His album was finally done. He wanted to play the last song for Marinette, but the only way he felt was appropriate.

"You're ready?" Nino asked. Adrien sat in the chair across from Nino whom was sitting at his desk.

"I think its time. My dad is gone now, and Chloe is in jail. There isn't a real reason why I'm keeping my identity from the world now."

"But you're sure about this? I mean, its a big decision."

"I know, but I want it to be perfect. She hasn't heard the last song yet. I want it to be a surprise."

Nino nodded, typing up some things on his computer before grabbing something from his printer.

"Okay, lets get started then."

* * *

 

Marinette hadn't spent much time with Adrien, he was so busy planning for a concert that he didn't have time.

"Alya, is he really that busy?" Marinette brushed her hair, feeling a little confused. "I mean, I know planning a full on concert must be hard work, but he can't make time to see me just once?"

Alya held in her screams. She knew why he was so busy, but it was a secret. "Yes, he is. Trust me girl. He's working his ass off to make it perfect. It'll be the first time people watch him play, hell, even know who he is." Alya brought Marinette a glass of red wine, pulling two bottles from the fridge and placing them on the floor beside them. Marinette and Alya pulled Marinettes mattress from her bed and into the living room to make the shared space more like a sleepover. Netflix was pulled up on the screen and Marinette was trying to choose something to play.

"Alright, lets see. What about a comedy movie?"

Alya shook her head. "Ya know, I think I'm feeling more like classic cartoons tonight. I'm exhausted and just need to relax."

"Okay, what should we choose then? You pick, I'm gonna text Adrien really quick."

As Alya skimmed through the list, Marinette opened up the messaging app.

Goodnight, miss you.

Adrien sighed, practicing another song on the large piano on the stage. He felt like he'd listened to the album and played it so many times that it'd kill him. A text from his phone caused him to take a break.

Smiling he texted back and put the phone back down to practice the song that he felt was most important.

Alya finally chose a show, and Marinette couldn't be happier to forget about the days stresses.

Goodnight my lady. I miss you more.

Marinette smiled, taking the last sip of her wine before Alya refilled her glass and staring at the screen, Ed Edd n' Eddy playing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What does Adrien have planned for Marinette?


	13. The Concert With A Nice Ring To It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien Agreste, AKA Chat Noir, has a concert.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After over a month, I have finally completed this chapter. It took me awhile, but I hope you have a box of tissues for your tears.

_Alright, today is the day. You can do this._ Adrien fixed his hair in his mirror. He had been prepping for weeks. The hype for the concert online was enough to sell out. He was so glad that Alya decided to blog about it, the amount of people excited to know what he looked like was phenomenal. Nino was glad too, the money would be enough for Adrien to take a break from making music for awhile.

Marinette stared at her reflection, the usual bare and naked look she usually went with was now complete with a slight pink shade of lip gloss. Alya was with her the entire day picking out clothes while simultaneously handling twitter, Chat Noirs feed cluttered with fans and their selfies.

"I'm actually happy I got to do this, this twitter feed is insane! Have you seen this hashtag? These fans are all over the place, look at this one." Alya stood next to Marinette who was still brushing her hair, glancing over at the phones screen.

"Hype train for Chat Noir! #choochoo?" Marinette laughed after reading the tweet. "Wow, kinda jealous no one talks about my clothes like that."

"Your shit is good shit. Just because its a different medium doesn't mean the hype train doesn't also get off at your stop." Alya winked at her friend, the odd metaphorical scene played out in Marinettes head.

"You're ridiculous, Alya. Okay, how do I look?"

Alya looked over her best friends outfit. Her shirt had a flower print on it, a black overshirt with pink polka dots on the hem of the sleeves. There were pink capris that hugged her hips just the right way. It was a simple outfit, but one that would definitely stand out at the concert.

"Wow, that looks amazing."

"I was afraid I wouldn't stand out enough."

"He's gonna see you from a mile away no matter what you're wearing, but that pink is too bright not to look at."

Alya looked at her phone to check the time.

"We better leave now, the traffic rush is gonna start soon."

Marinette followed Alya out the door, locking it behind her and heading to the cab waiting outside. The car ride was silent, only Alyas tapping on her phone as she was tweeting echoes with the outside sounds of driving. Marinette was a little nervous for Adrien, a little excited to see how people would react to seeing his face for the first time.

* * *

 

"Alright, keep yourself calm Adrien. I got this okay, just play the piano when its time and we'll be fine."

"Okay, don't forget the last song is important."

"I know, and we've been practicing for weeks, okay calm down. Its gonna be fine, trust me. I've talked with Alya and she has no idea so please just take your deep breaths and relax."

Adrien closed his eyes, trying to think of his mothers kind voice and words. He'd always do this when an anxiety attack would come along. Her face would appear in his mind, her voice telling him he was okay and that everything would be alright. But this time, she wasn't there, and instead it was Marinette. Couxing him, telling him that she loved him and holding him. When he opened his eyes, there was a crowd already, people were gathering in their chairs and having conversations with their friends, families, dates. Nino was talking with some staff members. Checking his phone he noticed that Marinette hadn't texted him yet.

* * *

Marinette and Alya arrived, walking into the building with their heads held high. Alya had a press pass as well as a backstage pass, Marinette had one as well. They were able to pass a ton of people and go backstage before the concert started.

Marinette looked for him, her eyes scanned the backstage faces, until her bright blues locked onto the shimmering greens that were looking for her. She saw his attire, a black shirt with three colored stripes across his chest and a white overshirt, the collar popped for some stupid reason and a pair of blue jeans. Not something fit for a classical music concert, but fit for him.

Marinette sprinted to him and held him tightly. "Are you excited?"

"Of course."

"Feeling okay?"

"I am now that you're here, my lady." Marinettes cheeks warmed up at the nickname.

"Okay, so whats the plan?"

Alya and Nino walked over to the couple. "Well, the ladies will be going down to the front row, I'm gonna go out there and talk with the crowd, get them excited to see Chat Noir and then Adrien will play his first album."

Marinette was happy that he'd play that album, to see his fingers play it live.

"Next, we'll announce the new album, which will be sold outside the doors once the concert is over, and then he'll play the songs on that album. Everyone got it? Alya?"

Her thumbs up and a smile, Nino clasped his hands together. "Alright, we're all set. Ladies, head to your seats please."

Marinette and Alya found their reserved seats in the middle of the front row, all the people around them dressed very well as if they were going to a fancy party.

The house lights dimmed, quieting the crowd. Nino stood up at the middle of the stage, microphone in hand.

"Hello ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to Chat Noir's official first concert. I'm Chat Noirs manager Nino. I am happy to announce that we will reveal Chat Noirs identity. Please give a huge round of applause." Nino gestured for Adrien to walk up.

And as he did, the ladies shouted. "Alright, relax."

Nino handed the mic to Adrien. "Hello. I'm a little nervous. I'm Chat Noir."

As soon as the crowd calmed down, Adrien took a seat at the piano and began to play.

SONG PLAYING AT THIS MOMENT: [Turning Page (Instrumental) - Sleeping At Last](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMLiBVMvTh8)

Adrien closed his eyes, playing from memory now. His mind scrolled through moments with his mother, dressing, making cookies, reading, singing, all the good moments he spent with her. All the times he'd go to the park and they'd lay on a picnic blanket in the spring and stare at the clouds. The moments where he'd learned to play with piano for the first time, his mother praising him for doing well and his father for actually be proud of him. He thought he'd never see moments like this in his life. Tears started flowing, his heart heavy as the song continued. Memories flowed of his father now, the smiles when he made his mother happy, the moments he thought he was dreaming of as a child, seeing him cover him with a blanket he got cold, carrying him off to bed after a long day of piano lessons. It was getting hard to see the keys but it didn't stop him from playing. The projector above him showed photos of his mother and himself as a child. Many people in the audience ooh'ed and aah'ed as pictures of him in ads as a child surprised them. His grief picked up the melody again and his smile returned to his face as the song began to die down. His fingers played out the song until the very end, his heart and soul echoed in the theater. He was sure that his mother was sitting with him on that stage, placing her fingers over his and telling him which keys played what notes. He really felt like she was there with him at that moment.

When the song ended, people clapped and Marinette wanted to go up there and hug him. But the next song began to play.

SONG PLAYING AT THIS MOMENT: [Lag Fyrir Ommu - Olafur Arnalds](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4wrZ9ILLXA)

His fingers tapped the keys, a memory he thought he'd forgotten long ago appearing before him in his mind as a home video played on screen without sound. It was of him and it was his mothers birthday. She was weak that day, and he didn't want her to be alone and sad, so he asked his father for a cake and they went out and bought stuff to make her one. They spent awhile baking it for her, taking time to decorate the outside with the words "happy birthday mom" on the top of it. The camera was set on him, his father coming over and hugging him and whispering something to him. The moment he saw his fathers lips move, he swore to himself that he saw him say "good job son" and he started crying again. Another clip played of his mother opening her eyes to Adrien holding the cake and telling her happy birthday. She blew out the candle on top and took the cake from him, hugging him and kissing his cheek. She mouthed the words "I am so proud of you", thinking of that night when Gabriel tucked him into bed that night. His father told him a story about a boy who loved his parents and Adrien remembered sleeping well that night. Memories of his father were so forgein to him, he thought he'd gone to an alternate reality.

Adrien stood up when the song was over and picked up a violin this time, which was sitting next to the piano. Marinette had no idea it was sitting there. Adrien stood in the middle of the stage, at the ready and the orchestra played along.

SONG PLAYING AT THE MOMENT: [Adagio For Strings - Escala](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05G-iEETxRU)

Adrien wasn't sure he was going to have the energy to continue, watching photos fly by across the screen. He wrote this around the time his mother stopped going out and playing with him. When he missed her the most, going to class and learning without her there to encourage him. When she stopped getting out of bed to work, cancelling plans to see him play at his recitals, cancelling celebrations because she was feeling sick. Some days were the worst for her, but there were those miracle days where she'd get out of bed to make something to eat for them both. He remembered the tea parties following by taking his mother to her bed to rest. He remembered being alone and having to watch her sleep while his dad was out at work. He remembered his father coming home one night and talking about not having money to pay bills but still being able to take Adrien to his room to sleep. He remembered his father having arguments with his mother about bills and doctor appointments. He remembered his mother still smiling as she tried to crawl out of bed to check on him. Adrien was growing exhausted from the emotions. Marinette saw him go from ecstatic to in pain in a matter of minutes. She wanted to go up there and hold him, seeing his eyes tear up again, pushing through as each note played without fail. She saw how much hard work went into the concert, and many of the women around her and Alya whispered to themselves as the songs played. Concerned for him, Nino wanted to add an intermission after the next song, hoping the concert would get brighter.

Nino announced the next song. "Okay, Chat Noir will play the final song from his first album before we take an intermission break. Here's Life and Death."

Adrien sat back at the piano, playing the last song he made for his mother.

Once Adrien finished the first album they announced a fifteen minute intermission. It gave time for anyone who needed to get water or use the restroom. It also meant that Adrien could have a break and prepare for whats to come. A handful of people went to the lobby, some people went for a smoke break, but many people stayed in their seats for the fear of them being taken by someone else.

Adrien walked into his dressing room, wanting to take a few breaths. He felt like he just drowned himself in feelings he'd been surpressing for years. Nino knocked on the door.

"Can I come in, dude?"

Adrien let him in, sitting himself back onto his chair.

"You okay? You lost yourself in the music a few times."

"Yeah, just a lot of feelings. Also pretty nervous about the last song tonight."

Nino placed a hand on his knee. "She's gonna love it, relax. You're too paranoid."

After the break was over, everyone entered back into their chairs, Marinette and Alya included.

Nino walked up on the stage and held the microphone up to his mouth. Adrien stood next to him, nervous but excited at the same time.

"Ladies and gentlemen, its time to announce the new album! Chat Noir?" Nino handed Adrien the microphone, his nervous and shaky hand grasping it.

"Ten months ago, I met a beautiful woman. She knocked on my window and told me to turn down my music. My new album was inspired by her, just as my first album was inspired by my mother. I call this album 'Marinette'. Please enjoy it."

Nino took the microphone and walked backstage, Adrien taking his seat, guitar in his hand. Alya took ahold of Marinettes hand, looking at her best friend and feeling tears come up.

"He's totally smitten sweetie." Alya whispered to Marinette, an eye roll given to her as a reply. Of course he was smitten, she already knew it. The moment he told her the album was inspired by her was the moment she knew. So, to her, it was no surprise.

Adrien began playing cords on the strings. His hands were sweating and he was unable to concentrate very well. But locking eyes with his blue eyed inspiration gave him the courage to play.

SONG PLAYING AT THIS MOMENT: [Your Hand In Mine - Explosions in the Sky](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzIK5FaC38w)

Strumming, he remembered back on the times he'd met her. The week he first moved in and she kept telling him to turn down the music. Having dinner with a neighbor for the first time, seeing her draw and her hair flowing in the winter breeze. Seeing her eyes shine when they talked about their past, her body swaying while she danced. The food, her laugh as they chatted, her voice as she sang along with songs they played that night on his living room floor. Talking about his apartment set up. God, he loved seeing her so damn happy, and seeing her from the stage now was surely a heavenly scene. Her smile was wide, her eyes were sparkling in the crowd of lite up phone screens.

And Marinette was captivated by the music as if she'd heard it for the first time. She'd heard the album before it was completed, but this song brought back a lot of feelings. The butterflies she had when she met him, their silly little date to the arcade after Chili's, the way her heart nearly stopped as they looked into each others eyes. She still remembered the lights from the claw machine. From the silly puns they exchanged, to the way he'd call her his lady.

Then, the song built up, and Adriens mind filled with her face, blushing from seeing him undress in front of her to measure him. Marinette remembered how tone he was for a boy who played instruments for a living. He never wanted to stop this, loving her. Chills went down Marinettes spine, the crowd whistling and cheering. She thought her heart would stop right there, his eyes locking with hers, smiling bright at her. Adrien couldn't have fallen in love with a more beautiful woman.

Alya began to hold Marinettes hand, she couldn't be prouder to see her best friend gleam with joy. Nino felt so happy to see Adrien so extremely energetic, to put his whole body into a song was one of his many talents. His best friend had found someone who loved him completely and he deserved it. Nino knew Adrien had faced so much disappointment and abuse in his young life, and seeing him put his heart into an album for this woman was surely a sight to see. Adrien could feel sweat dripping from his face, but he continued playing through the song even if the sweat was itching him to wipe it.

Alya and Marinette swayed to the music, feeling the drums play along. It had so much emotion that Alya could feel the love he had for Marinette in that very song. Nino knew it would be a hit for her, too.

When Nino talked with Adrien about the album, it was during their hectic moments together, Chloe almost ruining their entire life and relationship. But the album showed just how much Chloe couldn't change his feelings for Marinette. Adrien had his eyes on her the moment they met, and talking with Adrien about the woman who inspired him to create an album sparked a new level of appreciation he had for his best friend. I mean, he even found the love of his life before of Adrien. His music magicked up a certain feeling that when played at the right moment, it would change the feel and mood of each situation.

Nino remembered how he began like Alya, too. He didn't know why, but the moment they met that day for his interview, her hair long and a beautiful brown to gold color as it flowed down her chest had his breath in his throat. Alya knew it too, how her beauty had captured the heart of his manager. Their feelings were quiet, but after posting the article, she gave him a call and they met up for coffee to talk about themselves. It turned out they had more things in common. They started dating immediately and when Marinette won the contest, she admitted to Nino that it was her best friend on the phone.

Nino was actually pretty surprised. He hadn't known that little fact until she told him. Doing his own investigating he found that they did spend time together, asking Adrien questions about who the new album was going to be inspired by, but Adrien didn't give details, just saying it was a beautiful woman he met and nothing more.

When the date of the secret meeting came up, he watched closely as they interacted with each other. He had his suspicions, and after the meeting he questioned Adrien afterwards. He was cautious, not wanting to break any promise he made with Nino and the rest of the world. His identity was a secret, and giving away information like that could have ruined Adriens and Marinettes relationship.

As the song ended, Nino brought a bottle of water for Adrien to drink and a rag to wipe his sweat. Nino announced the title of the next song, signaling for him to pick up the violin sitting next to the guitar stand.

SONG PLAYING AT THE MOMENT: [Finding Beauty - Escala](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpP1vUxyMs8)

The moment the first note played, Adrien remembered his memory of Marinette sitting on his living room floor, drinking red wine and listening to his singing. The songs beat escalated, his memory fast forwarding to the day of their secret meeting. He was so nervous that day, his body was physically ill, he couldn't even eat breakfast that morning. The meeting had been awkward but touching hands with her relaxed them both. He felt his heart pound with the drums in the song. Marinette felt the power in the song, remembering their meeting and when their hands met.

She remembered coming home exhausted, wanting to be alone for a bit, but when Adrien knocked on her door to talk about the meeting. The conversation died down as they kissed. She cherished that moment, his hands on her, his body feeling all of her. Then, she remembered slipping in the bathroom and he helped her feel better. The care he put into each time they had sex was amazing, and it made her fall in love with him more.

Adrien remembered that day, too. As his fingers pressed the strings against the wood, he pulled out the emotion he had from that day into the song. Even now, he missed his lips on hers, on her skin, his hands and fingers feeling her, how weak she was underneath him.

But when she fell in the bathroom while he was gone, he promised to never leave her again after sex. He always pulled her from the bed, made a bath, washed her, and put her into clean clothes with a cup of something warm and played netflix while she snuggled against him. After their second time, he started to really fall for her, she always looked the most beautiful with her hair down, just as she looked now. A pair of earrings on and her hair down, only a few strands held up by a hair clip, she was so incredibly beautiful. And when the song ended, he wanted to get off that stage and take her away somewhere.

But the show wasn't over. He still had to perform one more song before his special song. A song he prepared for weeks to play.

And so, Adrien rolled his neck and shook out his nerves to forget that for the next song.

SONG PLAYING AT THIS MOMENT: [Smother - Daughter (Piano Cover)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMzGgUkFw38)

He placed his fingers against the piano keys, each note playing out. Marinette sat in the front row with Alya, holding her hand again. She felt an insane amount of warmth coming from the stage as Adrien played.

Adrien put the feeling of sadness and pain into the song, remembering the day Chloe nearly ruined his life, and potentially his relationship with Marinette. Her lips on him as Marinettes blue eyes locked onto their moment almost tore them apart. The pain Marinette must have felt that day was nothing he could know, but she listened to the song and it spoke to her. Tears swelled her eyes, her mind reverting back to that day again.

Chloe, hovering over Adrien, lips touching lips, her heart feeling crushed instantly. Marinette remembered feeling like she couldn't breathe, her body taking her away from the situation and locking herself up in her room. She remembered holding Tikki, her ladybug plushie that she won on their first date, before chucking it across the room furiously. That day was full of emotion for her. Alya called her and told her to come see her, where she ran into Adrien and the last moment and then they talked and made up from the accident.

As the song built up with happy tones, her mind took her to the moment they did actually make up. The couch they shared for the few minutes as they kissed and held hands, before being interrupted by Alya and Nino.

Their silent drive to the television station was also felt in the song. How quiet they were together, sitting next to one another, no words being spoken as they rushed. When Adrien and Marinette left the car to run into the station to get her to stop the broadcast before she was to announce his identity to the world, everything was in the song.

Alya smiled as she could also feel the emotion in the song, although she was only present for part of the drama. It was drama that fueled his drive for making this song, just for her, Marinette.

And when the song ended, Adrien segwayed into a short song for his fathers passing, as Marinette was there for him when he passed.

SONG PLAYING AT THIS MOMENT: [Let Her Go - Passenger (Piano Cover by Alan Trip](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vc9ECvLwKf4))

Marinette gasped. This song was the song Adriens dad played in the video before he died. Adrien started feeling the tears come up in his eyes as his tried to play. Marinette knew he was audibly sobbing while his fingers slammed down at the keys on the keyboard. It was a surprise to everyone, especially Nino. He wasn't supposed to play that at all, but his heart was full of Marinette, all of his feelings for her were just pouring onto the piano like a tidal wave and he just let it wash over him. Alya was a little lost at the moment, but looking at Marinette gave her a sign that this song meant a lot to him. She let go of Marinettes hand, watching her slowly stand up and walk over to the stage. He needed her at this moment, and it was the right moment. Her feet stepped onto the small staircase to the piano, gripping around Adriens waist, her voice softly humming the song with his piano playing. Marinette held Adrien from behind as Adrien slowed his keys, feeling her warmth surround him. She loved him with all her heart and seeing him in pain like this was hard for her to watch.

This was perfect. Adrien didn't have to call her onto the stage. Nino held the microphone he had been holding in his hands for the past two minutes up to his face.

"Thank you for that surprise performance Adrien. Lucky that Marinette is here, Adrien would you like to say something?"

Adrien wiped his eyes as Nino set a chair across from the piano before he grabbed the microphone Nino had in his other hand.

"Yes. Marinette, I prepared a special song for you. A song I like to call Autumn." Marinette sat in the chair, surprised as Adrien set down the microphone and began to play.

SONG PLAYING AT THIS MOMENT: [Autumn - Ryan Stewart](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKu2b5qBWv0)

This song was title Autumn for a reason, and Marinette knew exactly what it was. It was the time they took to visit her parents. This song gave her a feeling of nostalgia as it took her on an adventure through her childhood and the places she'd shown to Adrien. Her heart fluttered as he played various notes and the orchestra played the strings along with him. She wanted to cry, her cheeks puffy and her hands shaky. Adrien looked up at Marinette to she the emotion in her facial expressions. She started crying without even realizing it, but Adrien smiled anyway. The winds began to go along with the song, and Marinette remembered dinner with her family, Adrien right next to her. She remembered holding his hand as they swung on the swings together. She remembered singing in the kitchen as Adrien listened in on her and her mother. Marinette felt like she never wanted this feeling to end, being able to wake up next to Adrien, watching the sunset together, eat dinner and laugh about some stupid pun he'd made. She wanted more moments like that, to hear his voice as he sang in the shower, to see him dance along trying to keep up with whatever song that played on the radio. She wanted him and her, wrapped arms around one another and the warmth surrounding them to melt together, her heart felt full and happy from it all.

And as the song ended, Adrien took the microphone into his hands again and walked over to Marinette. She was surprised at the song, tears still in her eyes as he knelt down on one knee, microphone raising up to his mouth.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng..." Alya stood up and took out her phone to record this moment.

Marinette felt like she was going to faint.

"Last winter, when you knocked on my window, I never thought that this beautiful woman with a talent for fashion and a heart of gold would capture my heart. Your summer glow melted away my frozen heart and had made something new, something different that I never thought I would feel again." Marinette was really crying now, she covered her mouth, trying to stop her sobs that escaped her, blinking as much as possible to be able to see his face. Low and behold, he was crying, too.

"I would have... Never guessed... That someone would love me as much as my mom did. And you, Marinette... You are that person. And so, with this ring..."

Adrien shuffled for something in his pocket, a single diamond on a small metal ring, and holds it inbetween his thumb and index finger.

With a shaky hand and a stuttering voice, Adrien asked, "Would you d-do me a h-huge honor by be-becoming my wife?"

Marinette laughed through her sobs, finally letting go of her face as she said, "Yes!" Marinette pulled Adrien up as she stood and kissed him. Adrien slid his arms around her, pushing himself into the kiss as the crowd stood up clapping.

The crowd cheered, Nino grabbing ahold of the microphone and stating, "Thank you very much for joining us tonight. Please pick up your trash and don't forget, we are selling both albums in the lobby. Thanks again." The curtain fell and people began to file out of the audience until it was quiet. Marinette and Adrien didn't move after their kiss. He didn't want to stop holding her. Marinette wanted this feeling to stay a little longer before they left the concert hall.

Nino and Alya cleared their throats to get their attention. "You guys can do that later. For now, we gotta go and celebrate." Nino shouted, a smile creeping up onto their faces.

"That sounds like fun. Lets go get food , I'm starving and need a serious drink."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT FINALLY HAPPENED. 13 chapters later, and they are officially engaged. I did want to spread this out more, you know, have it end on a cliffhanger, but I couldn't figure it out. I'm so glad I got it done. The reason it took so long was I couldn't find the perfect song for the 3rd song on the 2nd album. 
> 
> The story isn't over here, but its getting close to the end I feel. I'm still not sure when it'll end, but please let me know what you think. I was really hesitant on writing this chapter, I wanted this to be like farther away, but the story just called for this now and I didn't wanna stretch out the story for longer than it needs to be.
> 
> Thank you so much for supporting this fanfic. :)


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